Before Dawn
by Chednz
Summary: Taking up where the 7th book left off  pre epilogue  we follow Harry as he comes to terms with a post-Voldemort world and life outside of Hogwarts - Rating may change later
1. Darkness

Darkness (Prologue)

**This is my first attempt at a fanfic - I write in my spare time between university lectures so chapters may not appear regularly but I will do my best as far as my studies allow - I'd appreciate any constructive feedback you can give so please read and review but most importantly enjoy**

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Hidden deep amongst the valleys of Europe sat an ancient castle. For over as long as their history recorded the locals had believed the crumbling citadel had lain abandoned but in truth, for over a millennia, the _Degener_ had occupied the site as their headquarters. In a windowless room deep within the bowls of the stronghold the _Erus_ sat upon a small pile rubble. He was waiting for the arrival of his council and spent the time reflecting upon his bloody ascension to _Erus_.

It had been a long and bitter struggle and the many conflicts involved were reflected in his battle scarred face. As far as the world knew he had died nearly a thousand years earlier. As far as the _Erus_ was concerned, that was the day he was born.

He had spent that time learning the craft of the _Degener_, rising through their ranks before abruptly and violently wresting control and defeating his predecessor nearly fifty years ago. Now that he had gained ascendancy he had to move quickly to prove himself and assert his authority before one of his minions began to have misguided aspirations. A noise at the far end of the room attracted the _Erus's_ attention.

The ancient doors had opened as his inner circle entered; their dark purple robes moving smoothly around their bodies obviously having been spelled into silence. It was noticeable that they were all vying to garner the least attention, lest they attract his displeasure. He smile inwardly, fear is a good thing and he would have to ensure they had a healthy level of it at all times. The roar of flames announced the arrival of those who could not appear in person, their ghostly forms wrapped in a cocoon of slow moving blue fire.

He shifted his gaze taking in the unfurnished chamber. He liked things simple and felt that the emptiness of the room let his minions know that there was nowhere to hide in his presence. He watch carefully as the twenty robed figures formed a semi circle in front of him. He listened to the subtle sound of the feet shuffling on the ancient stone floor; a tell tale sign of their anxiousness. 'Good' he thought.

As the last one assembled he initiated the council

"_Adsecula_ of _Degener_ Eumenes you have a report" he called

A short swarthy man with an olive complexion stepped forward. "Yes my liege…" the nervousness of the Grecian man was evident in his hesitance to continue "… It is my duty to report that due to circumstances beyond my control our initial strategy has failed"

"Our strategy!" bellowed the _Erus_ "Our! I believe this is your failure!" he lashed out with his hand a bright yellow light whipping across the man's chest ripping open his robe and tearing into the flesh beneath "How dare you Eumenes! How dare you try to shovel your blame towards me!"

Falling to his knees and clutching his chest the Greek rasped "I misspoke, I take full responsibility"

Snickering could be heard from those assembled, they were all aware of how this statement would be handled

"Of course you will!" the _Erus_ raged his yellow whip making three more strikes. "Now what are these 'circumstances' that have caused you to fail me AGAIN!" this was the second time this cretin had made him look like a fool.

Eumenes whimpered "I'm sorry my liege but it appears that a 'Chosen One' has emerged"

… … … … Everyone present went quiet and very still. They could feel the power and anger radiating out of their leader and knew that any mistake or noise on their part would be almost certain death.

"What did you do?" the _Erus_ may have said this quietly but nobody missed the underlying rage

the Grecians breath was now coming out in ragged spurts, sweat was running down the man's face and blood slowly splattering the floor "Sire?"

The _Erus_ rounded on his servant his dark eyes narrowing as he focused on making the example he wanted. He grabbed a hold of the robes of the man before him, dragging him up to his face "What did you do? The _Antiquitas_ would never interfere like this! What are you not telling me!"

"I don't…"

He threw the man down onto the ground conjuring his whip again, striking the cringing mass before him

"Nothing…"

The whip struck repeatedly. The other council members had not even reacted to the use of the weapon at first but now even the most stoic of them twitched as the white gleam of bone became visible and the man's back was systematically slashed leaving his ribs exposed "Lies! Tell me what I need to know!"

As a pool of blood seeped out beneath him the Grecian realised that any hope of surviving this encounter was quickly disappearing. Knowing that withholding the information would only lead to more torture he managed to rasp "There was a prophecy sire…"

The _Erus_ stood over him, his breathing returning to normal as he stared down contemplating what he was just told. "A prophecy…. I see…. So the fates interfered… I understand now" this statement was made calmly. Subconsciously the witnesses tried to withdraw as far as possible from their _Erus _and the pathetic mass he was standing over. All were aware that the calm of his voice belayed the cold cruelty of his mind.

Obviously the pain in the man's body had dulled his wits as he began pleading "Thank you sire, thank you for your mercy"

Knowing what was about to happen, almost everyone but the _Erus_ averted their eyes "Mercy! No you pathetic wretch! Your arrogance, your stupidity allowed you to tempt the fates!" the Lord levitated the man's body up by the ankles coming face to face with him again, blood from his victims injuries ran down the man's face. Suddenly the man's body convulses as the cruciatus curse burns away inside him. "Now their champion has defeated your precious Voldemort costing us valuable resources and wasting my time!" spat the _Erus_ "Would you have me look like a fool Eumenes?"

The cruciatus curse surged through the spasming body once again before being dropped unceremoniously to the floor. The Lord beckoned to one of his followers. The woman in question didn't hesitate in coming forward pulling back her hood revealing the long brown hair that disappeared beneath the neck of her robes. Her dark brown eyes had never left her master as they studied him intently "Yes sire"

"My Lover, it is time someone took a more active role in our endeavours" his eyes boring into hers as if to test her resolve

She returned his gaze unflinchingly "As you wish sire"

Placing his hand on her shoulder the Lord gazed around the rest of the assembly "I am tired of dealing with incompetence, you have been warned! Now go, we shall reconvene tomorrow and decide how to fix this fiasco"

The council retreated down towards the door; those whose fiery ghosts were present quickly vanished. The Lord looked at his lover, he had chosen well. She was fanatical, loyal, skilled, and fearless, her body was enticing and above all she was vicious. He felt no real love for her but he loved having her around as she was a wonder to watch.

He walked towards the door stepping over the still form of Eumenes "dispose of this" he commanded as he left the room. The woman looked down on the quivering mass before her, placing her hand on him he began screaming. The fire which had ignited inside his body issued from his orifices, his soul wrenching scream dying quickly as his body was reduced to ashes by the intense inferno.

Walking down the hallway the _Erus_ smiled as he heard the screaming behind him. She was perfect for the job. He was determined to wreak his vengeance upon Briton, that accursed nation had turned against him and when he unleashed her she was going to bring it to its knees.


	2. Aftermath

Aftermath

Sitting at the bottom of Hogwarts' grand staircase Harry Potter could feel all the punishment he had put his body through recently. The marble steps and banister felt cool against his skin and Harry adjusted himself to expose as much of his bruising as possible to it. His robes were in a sad state of disrepair and his shirt was adhered to his chest with the congealed blood that had flowed from his various wounds. Harry's injuries, past and present, felt like a road map of his life and as he considered each bump, bruise and scar he couldn't help reflecting on his past.

His hand travelled subconsciously over the small bump on his left arm, the only physical evidence of a poorly mended broken bone. The Dursleys were his only blood relatives and had taken him in after his parents died, but they were muggles - non-magical people - and had tried to deny his "unnaturalness". Over the years Harry had often been exposed to the violent tendencies of his uncle and cousin whenever he exhibited his magical abilities. His adoptive family made him live in the cupboard under the stairs, neglected, unwanted, and unloved. Hagrid's sudden arrival on Harry's eleventh birthday had freed the young wizard, at least for the duration of the school term, and introduced him to the hidden world of witchcraft and wizardry.

He'd met Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger on the train to Hogwarts in his first year. The pair had been with Harry through thick and thin, proving their absolute friendship by standing with him during the horrors that they had endured: a Troll, a Basilisk, Giant Spiders, Dark Wizards, Dragons… the list goes on. By befriending Ron, Harry had inadvertently acquired a loving family in the process; the Weasleys. They were the family that Harry had always wanted and had been dreaming about his whole life.

Not for the first time Harry's anger flared as he contemplated what the first eleven years of that life would have been like, or even his whole seventeen years, had his parents not been killed by Lord Voldemort. He had led a reign of terror in the wizarding world, aiming to conquer and dominate it through fear and brute force. His parents, Lily and James Potter, had belonged to a secret organisation - the Order of the Phoenix - which was directly opposed to Voldemort. The pair had been killed while in hiding when Voldemort had come to murder Harry as an infant.

Voldemort had come for him after hearing part of a prophecy suggesting that Harry would ultimately cause the fall of the self proclaimed Dark Lord. But Harry survived; the lightning bolt scar on his forehead a vivid reminder of the incident. Almost seventeen years later, this very morning in fact, Harry had fulfilled that prophecy. He had met his nemesis in grounds of his beloved school, finally defeating him in a one on one confrontation that had taken place in the Great Hall during the height of the battle.

Harry's emerald eyes surveyed the damage from what was already being called the Battle of Hogwarts. Spell damage and debris littered the entrance to the castle. Cracks were visible in the masonry of the ceiling and blood stains smeared the floors. Officials from the Ministry of Magic were already working at clearing the aftermath. The deceased, both friend and foe, had been removed but Harry could still see the bodies that matched each stain as he looked around; a particularly large one to his left was Lavender Brown, a Gryffindor housemate of six years. She had been severely injured in a fall during the battle and then attacked by the savage werewolf, Fenrir Greyback. Lavender was currently lying in St Mungo's hospital fighting for her life. Closing his eyes from the scene images flashed unbidden through his mind:

_Lavender's body on the floor surrounded by blood, Remus and Tonks' lifeless eyes, Hermione screaming…_

Harry snapped open his eyes and shook his head, trying to clear the visions from his head before gazing out the open doors of the entrance hall towards the grounds in front of them. He could see the lake in the distance - the resident giant squid basking in the May sun. A group of people moved towards the lake and it didn't require closer examination to determine that it was the Weasley family; their flaming red hair was a giveaway even at this distance. The brunette with them was obviously Hermione the sheer volume of her large bushy hair easily distinguished her from anyone else who would be with the family.

Rising unsteadily, Harry intended to join the group. He had spent the morning taking care of various issues including returning the Elder Wand to its rightful position, but now he knew what he wanted to do. The only person he wanted to speak to right now, Ginny Weasley, was guaranteed to be amongst them. They hadn't seen or spoken to each other properly in nearly eight months and he needed to know….. Harry was abruptly taken from his thoughts by a voice calling from behind

"Mr Potter"

When he turned around Harry instantly recognised the stern features of his former head of house and presumably interim headmistress "Professor McGonagall?"

He noticed a cane clutched tightly in her hand, supporting her injured hip, deciding it was impolite to make her limp towards him Harry quickly moved to her.

"Harry, Minister Shaklebolt is in the headmaster's office, he would like a word if you have the time" she stated. Harry was sure he'd seen the beginning of a smile on her lips but it was gone before he could be sure.

He nodded obediently "Certainly Professor"

With a quick look of longing towards the lake Harry fell in step with one of his favourite professors. As they approach the headmaster's office Harry noticed a man standing in the sky blue robes of an Auror next to the Gargoyle which guarded the office of the Headmistress. Feeling uneasy as he approached an unknown person Harry surreptitiously gripped his wand inside his robe pocket, his eyes scrutinising the man looking for any possible threats. When the pair came within range, the Auror began raising his wand and moving it towards Harry. Having been on edge Harry instantly responded and whipped out his own wand and pointed it unflinchingly at the Auror.

"Mr Potter!" McGonagall snapped placing a restraining hand on Harry's shoulder "It's alright, Auror Smith here has been tasked with protecting Minister Shacklebolt and he just wants to check you for magical items"

The Auror inclined his head in agreement

"Sorry Professor" Harry said sheepishly fractionally lowering his wand, his eyes remaining focused on the Auror "But being 'Undesirable Number One' for the best part of a year makes it hard to trust anyone" he subconsciously massaged his chest, the sudden movement reacting to the Auror had caused something there to hurt. Harry knew he should visit Madam Pomfrey but there were others with more serious injuries and he didn't want to distract from them.

The professor nodded, her face serious with concern "Quite"

Meanwhile Auror Smith had completed his sweep "You're clear" he said stepping aside. The Gargoyle who had been watching the whole proceedings merely nodded at McGonagall and Harry before moving itself aside without a password.

As they stepped onto the ascending stairs McGonagall turned to Harry saying "I find it intriguing that you didn't react that way when I approached you Potter"

Harry smiled inwardly "Well to begin with, you never had your wand out, and secondly with respect Professor you're rather unique and a person would have a hard time convincing anyone they were you, even with a Polyjuice Potion"

"Unique you say" peering at Harry trying to discern the meaning of his comment "I shall try and take that as a compliment"

"As it was intended Professor" said Harry smiling back at her as they stepped off the stairs

The pair entered McGonagall's spartan office which had been cleared of Professor Snape's personal effects. Harry considered the portraits that surrounded him, all of whom were affecting sleep. He noticed the addition of Snape's portrait next to that of Professor Dumbledore's and chuckled at the floral background to the portrait. He was sure the real Snape would have hated it. In front of the large desk sat two old fashioned hardwood chairs, one of which was currently occupied by the Minister of Magic. McGonagall smiled appreciatively at Harry before gesturing for him to take the seat beside the Minister. Kingsley Shacklebolt rose and extended his hand towards Harry

Harry shook his hand in greeting, smiling at his fellow Order member "Minister"

"Harry I think we've all been through enough that you may call me Kingsley" the Minister said seriously before breaking into a grin "at least in private that is"

"Kingsley" said Harry

McGonagall had settled in gingerly behind the desk before speaking "Harry, we've asked you here to put together an accurate account of recent events"

Harry who had been considering the reason for this meeting as they had walk to the office nodded gravely "Can I ask, please, that Ron and Hermione join us. They can help explain things and there are parts of the story that they don't know, I'd prefer not to have to repeat myself"

"As you wish, excuse me for a moment minister while I send for them" McGonagall rose and headed down the stairs.

Harry and Kingsley remained seated in silence each looking about the empty office. Harry sat contemplating what exactly he was going to reveal to everyone and what the implications of those revelations would be. He looked around for guidance coming to rest again on the portraits of Snape and Dumbledore, both apparently still asleep. Harry suspected that the portraits all feigned sleep as a strategy to avoid the occupants of the office feeling like they were being continuously listened in to.

After awhile Kingsley interrupted the silence "Doesn't seem right….."

"Sorry?" asked Harry startled out of his contemplation

"I look around this office and it doesn't seem right" said the Minister gesturing about him "It was Dumbledore's for so long, now all those little silver instruments are gone, even the perch where his bird sat is gone"

"Phoenix" mumbled Harry "Fawkes was a Phoenix"

Kingsley raised an eyebrow at Harry who simply looked back at the minister and shrugged.

McGonagall re-entered the office "Miss Granger and Mr Weasley will join us shortly"

Harry had realised soon after defeating Voldemort that he would eventually have to tell certain people about what they had done and why. He had figured out that there was some important issues he needed to cover and a few loose ends he needed to tie up. So he had spent the last few hours contemplating on and off how to achieve these goals. Coming to a decision Harry spoke up "Before we begin I have a few, ah, requests"

"Requests?" asks Kingsley, McGonagall simply gave Harry a questioning look

"Well four of them" he murmured looking back them. Getting over his nervousness Harry boldly stated to the minister "And I need you to agree to first one of them before I would be willing to tell you anything"

The traditional stern expression returned to McGonagall's features "Mr Potter, I hardly think it is appropriate to be making demands of the Minister of Magic" she lectured

"Maybe not but since when has that ever stopped anyone Minerva?" chuckled Kingsley "I'll hear you out Harry, and then I'll decide accordingly"

"That's all I can ask" said Harry "But as I said the first is non-negotiable as far as I'm concerned, there is a certain subject that will be discussed that does not leave this room. Simple knowledge of the existence of this subject could be dangerous" Harry's voice held a note of authority as he looked back at the others. Kingsley's eyebrows were raised in surprise at Harry's statement; McGonagall continued to look on severely.

"Trust me when I say it is in everyone's best interest" Harry took a long breath before continuing "My second request is in regards to an incident that occurred in the forest between me and Tom"

"Tom?" Kingsley question

McGonagall explained "Tom Marvolo Riddle is generally known as Lord Voldemort"

"Oh, right, interesting"

Harry noticed that Kingsley still flinched slightly at Voldemort's name but it was minute compared to the shrieks and audible gasps that used to accompany the mentioning of his name "Ideally I'd again like for this information to not leave this room, but that's a personal request"

"I see" said Kingsley obviously wondering at the cryptic way Harry was giving out his requests

Harry bowed his head slightly as he thought about his next request; he was quiet for a short while as he ordered his thoughts and tried to block the emotions attached to them. "My third request is for the pardon and recognition of the efforts of Professor Snape" he sniffed audibly before looking up to see both Dumbledore's and Snape's portraits smiling down at him. Dumbledore's eyes held their customary twinkle; Snape's however had a look Harry had never seen on his features – it could almost have been a mixture of admiration and respect.

_Snape's dying body, Dumbledore lying dead and broken, the White Queen striking down Ron_

Harry jerked back to reality "He deserves that much and more"

Kingsley and McGonagall were both staring at Harry intently trying to figure out what could cause such an absolute about face of his opinion of his former professor.

"That's three requests so far, you said you had one more?" inquired Kingsley

Harry sat pensively re-evaluating what he was about to ask for. He was in two minds over it, he knew what he thought the right thing to do probably was, but he also knew what he wanted to do and he knew that either decision could have significant consequences for those involved. Harry looked up at the portrait of his former headmaster on the wall; Dumbledore looked back serenely before giving an almost unperceivable nod. "The last request is a deal"

Kingsley smirked before commenting in his deep gruff voice "I'm not going to like this deal am I?"

"I don't even like this deal" said Harry returning the smirk before turning serious "But it's the right thing to do"

"So Mr Potter what is this deal you're proposing to the Minister?"

"A kind of probationary Amnesty for Draco and Narcissa Malfoy" at this Kingsley almost choked. McGonagall leaned back into her chair contemplating Harry's request. Feeling uncomfortable under the professor's penetrating gaze so he quickly continued "It would have to be contingent upon Lucius Malfoy turning himself into the Ministry and him serving his entire existing sentence"

"HA! You don't ask for much do you?" blurted out Kingsley incredulously

McGonagall whose composure had remained intact asked "Why that deal?"

After a moments consideration Harry outlined his reasoning "As far as I know Narcissa hasn't actually committed any crimes and as I'll explain later I … … … kind of owe her my life… … … As for Draco… … … Draco… … … He's… … …" Getting frustrated at is hesitancy Harry took a deep breath "He's had plenty of opportunities to commit evil acts in the past. Each time he's been unable to go through with it. I think the main reason for this is that Dumbledore was always very forgiving. I think because of that Draco was never able to commit an act that was truly unforgivable" Harry noticed that Dumbledore's portrait was now beaming a huge smile at him "So fortunately for him he's not really guilty of anything other than being an arrogant self serving git"

"Language Mr Potter! And in front of the Minister! I've taught you better than that " scorned McGonagall.

However the Minister in question seemed to be highly amused by this final comment and it was a few moments before he settled down. Both Kingsley and Professor McGonagall spent a couple of minutes quietly considering his words. It was McGonagall who finally spoke "I believe that Mr Potters proposed sentence for Lucius is to act as both stick and carrot" Kingsley smiled at this.

Harry nodded before stating "He needs to serve a punishment for his crimes, but I don't trust his nature enough to believe he would put Draco and Narcissa's 'potential' incarceration over his own self interest"

Kingsley's smile increased "You said 'Provisional Amnesty'?"

"Well I'd leave the details up to you and the Ministry"

"Oh how generous Harry" said Kingsley sarcastically

Ignoring the jibe Harry pressed on "I would suggest the Amnesty should be granted on the provisos that Lucius must surrender himself to the Ministry. He must serve the whole of his original sentence – If he buys his way out the deal is void. Finally if Draco or Narcissa are caught doing or are known, without doubt, to have committed any criminal act from now on – their respective Amnesty would be voided"

As Kingsley absorbed this he rose and began pacing across the rich crimson carpet his robes swishing with the movement.

McGonagall had not moved from her position in her chair, nor had the intensity of her gaze dropped. Her eyes bored into Harry's seeking the reasoning for his proposals "So Potter if we wish to hear your version of these events we must acquiesce to your requests"

Feeling self-conscious under her stare Harry shyly mumbled "The first point is the only part that is non-negotiable; the others are merely requests on my behalf"

Kingsley stopped pacing and looked towards McGonagall for advice "Minerva?"

Never lifting her gaze from the young man in front of her she replied "I do believe we can trust Mr Potter in this matter. I have never known him to place demands on others before, so I imagine there must be a sufficient reason for him to do so now" leaning forward she continued "As far as the first two requests are concern I will assure you now that I personally will not speak of them to anyone without your permission"

Harry was slightly embarrassed; one of his favourite teachers had given an almost glowing commendation of his character in front of the Minister of Magic

Kingsley however was frowning in consternation "I'm not exactly comfortable making decisions without any information… … … That's how Aurors are killed… … … But in saying that… … … I do trust you Harry so I will agree to your first request but I'll reserve my decision about the next two until I have heard your account. As for Draco and Narcissa I don't like it, I really don't like it… … … However I also think I remember that we have little or no evidence linking either of them to a crime. So once I review our files if that is still the case I will put together your deal. I'm afraid as Minister that's the best I can offer"

"That's all I can ask for" exhaled a relieved Harry

"I'm glad that is settled, now I believe that Miss Granger and Mr Weasley are about to join us" said McGonagall before a knock issued from the door. "Enter" she conjured a pair of chairs as Ron and Hermione entered. Harry smiled as he noted that they were holding hands.

"Take a seat" said the professor as she gestured towards the empty chairs "Mr Potter was just going to talk us through what exactly you three have been up to these past few months"

Harry walked over towards his two best friends "We need to tell them everything"

A look of concern sprung onto Hermione's face "But Harry"

Ron grabbed his wrist whispering "Mate what about, you know, the things?"

"It's alright Minister Shacklebolt and Professor McGonagall already agreed to protect the information. Plus we only promised Dumbledore not to tell people about them until this was all over, which I'm pretty sure it is" as he said the last comment, a quick smile spread across the trios faces. Harry returned to his seat as his two best friends settled into theirs.

_Nagini erupting out of Bathilda Bagshot's body, A flash of silver and a knife sticking out of Dobby_

Harry took a deep cleansing breath before looking up "The subject we are so delicately dancing around is Horcruxes"

A sharp intake of breath from McGonagall indicated she at least knew a little about the subject, Kingsley however was gave everyone a puzzled look.

"I take it Professor that you know what I was talking about" asked Harry. She nodded her features set in a tight grimace "Perhaps you could explain it to Minist… Kingsley" the Professor nodded before turning to talk to Kingsley. Meanwhile Harry looked over towards Hermione who had an odd look of questioning on her face, as Harry tried to decipher her unspoken question. She realised his lack of understanding and partially withdrew her wand and began nodding towards it. Realisation dawned on Harry – The Elder Wand – or more specifically the Deathly Hallows.

Knowing the implications involved in revealing that information he shook his head; he definitely wanted _that_ to remain a secret. Hermione nodded before leaning across and whispering to Ron. Harry glanced back at Kingsley and McGonagall who had just finished talking.

Kingsley's face had taken on an ashen hue and he took a moment before speaking "So V-V-Voldemort made one of these Horcrux things? And that's how he survived back in '81?"

"Except" said Hermione "He took it a step further"

Harry nodded in agreement "He made six, well seven actually but I'll explain that"

Both Kingsley and McGonagall looked stunned. The professor was the first to recover whispering "Mother of Merlin!" under her breath

Harry, Ron and Hermione proceeded to describe their hunt for the horcruxes over the past eight months. They covered every step: their escape from the wedding, hiding in various forests, infiltrating the Ministry, acquiring the Sword of Gryffindor, capture by the snatchers, Malfoy Manor, Gringotts, their arrival at Hogwarts and the destruction of the diadem in the Room of Requirement. They all filled in details for each other but by mutual omission failed to recount any information regarding the Deathly Hallows.

McGonagall glared at Ron when it was revealed he had left the group but her expression softened when the circumstances were explained. Harry produced Snape's memories while he related the professors final moments. As the trio's tale concluded everyone turned to face Harry expectantly, they were all aware of what had happened during the final battle itself except for what Harry had experienced in the forest during the ceasefire.

"So what happened during the ceasefire" Ron prompted impatiently after a pregnant pause. Hermione rolled her eyes and elbowed Ron at his lack of subtlety.

Harry narrated his confrontation with Voldemort and his Death Eaters. He struggled at points suppressing the emotions involved in facing his nemesis and knowing at the time it would lead to his own death. He kept his head bowed as he spoke to avoid making eye contact with the others in the room. His description of Hagrid being trussed up amongst the Death Eaters brought a sob from Hermione. Harry skipped over the rhetoric involved before stating without emotion that he had been struck with the 'Avada Kedavra' curse.

This statement shocked everyone present. Harry jerked his head up at the audible gasps around him. Both Hermione and Ron had tears in their eyes and McGonagall's concern for him was evident even on her normally stoic face. Kingsley however looked bewildered "Voldemort struck you with the Killing Curse?" Harry merely nodded looking back down into his lap, he notice his hand was rubbing the spot on his chest where the curse hit. It felt different and he knew he was going to find a mark there later "Again… … … And you survived again?" stammered Kingsley Harry continued nodding "… … … How? Are you immune?"

McGonagall interrupted "I highly doubt that Kingsley, I'd say there are more layers to this event than you are appreciating" she said raising her eyebrows at Harry

Harry bobbed his head. He could feel his emotions beginning to overwhelm him but he fought to remain in control. He didn't want to delve into his past, he was worn, tired, his body ached and he had yet to mentally deal with any of the experiences he had endured in the past two days. But he knew that he had to explain it all before he lost his own understanding of the events.

"… … … When my mother … … … When she … … … … When she sacrificed herself for me, she unwittingly placed an ancient protection over me… … … Tom tried to overcome this when he used my blood to resurrect his body after the Triwizard Tournament"

Kingsley face fell "He used your blood?"

Harry pulled back his sleeve showing Kinsley the scar in the crook of his elbow. McGonagall who was aware of these events pressed on "You said he 'tried' to overcome this protection; I take it that this attempt didn't work?"

"It did in a way, he could touch my skin - our bodies containing the same blood meant that the spell couldn't tell the difference. But it didn't change his… … magical signature? So when he cast the killing curse the protection recognised it and protected my essence… … … but it did kill part of me" Harry's last statement was barely more than a whisper, but sufficient that everyone had heard, he was afraid of what their reactions would be. He didn't want them to know that he had been contaminated this whole time; that his soul had been unclean and shared with a part of Voldemort's.

"Now what does that mean?" asked Kingsley confused

McGonagall however had made the connection "Oh my Harry, it was… … … you were… … …"

"What?" demanded Kingsley "I'm obviously missing something"

"We had destroyed five of the seven horcruxes so far" said Harry emotion gone from his voice. Raising his head and focusing on a point on the wall over McGonagall's shoulder "I was the sixth"

Tears tracked down Hermione's face as she gripped Ron's arm with both hands. Harry had shown the pair Snape's memories so they already knew this information but hearing at second time was obviously not any easier.

"Bloody Hell!" exclaimed Kingsley understanding crashing into him

"Indeed Minister, Indeed" said McGonagall finding the use of language thoroughly appropriate in this particular instance

Harry couldn't help smiling at the exchange before returning his focus to the point on the wall. He continued "He must have been planning to use my death, when he tried to kill me as a baby, to create a Horcrux and initiated the spell. When the Killing Curse rebounded on him it completed the requirements for the spell but with Tom not being there to direct the effect; the spell bonded with the nearest magically receptive object – Me" Harry looked over and his heart panged to see Hermione still sobbing quietly into Ron's shoulder who was trying to support her. Ron looked torn between comforting her and listening to the rest of the explanation.

"So the part that the Killing Curse affected was the Horcrux. He destroyed his own?" asked Kingsley

"Unwittingly, yeah"

It was a lot to take in and everyone returned to their quiet contemplation. The silence was only broken by the occasional sniffs issuing from Hermione as she regained her composure.

"I see you've thought a lot about this Mr Potter" observed McGonagall eventually

"I didn't understand it really, it was kind of explained to me" Harry bowed his head again regretting his choice of words, knowing he would have to explain this comment and feeling uncomfortable realising what the others may think

Kingsley became concerned "You've told someone else about this?"

"No, not really, they already knew" Harry wondered how exactly he was going to explain about having a conversation in a netherworld with his deceased headmaster

The still sniffing Hermione lifted her head from Ron's shoulder to ask "What do you mean Harry?" this part he hadn't shared with them.

Trying to avoid sounding unhinged Harry explained "The Killing Curse didn't kill me outright but it still affected me. It sent me right to the edge"

Hermione's sniffling became louder as he continued "I think I was at the point of being able to cross over but there was someone there and they explained what had happened to me" not wanting to reveal too much more he stopped there hoping the others wouldn't press him for details. Harry prayed silently that they would just let it go. It was hard enough to endure the memory of the ordeal without having to describe its details and he just didn't know how they would react to it all. He wasn't crazy but it would surely sound like it.

Kingsley seemed about to continue before a cough and a stern glare from McGonagall made him rethink what he was going to say. After a short pause he chose to move on "So what happened after you were hit with the curse?"

Gratefully Harry explained about coming back into consciousness and Narcissa's assistance, his description of Hagrid's reaction to his 'death' and his being forced to carry Harry's body brought audible reactions from everyone present. Especially Hermione, Ron's robe had long since soaked through but he kept his arm around her and never complained. They all knew and cared for the half giant and were aware of what that ordeal would have cost him.

As soon as the group recovered their emotions Kingsley prompted "We have a pretty good account of what happened after Hagrid emerged from the forest. But could you explain what happened with that final curse in the Great Hall?"

Harry's face screwed up in concentration. He knew what Kingsley was asking about. In his final confrontation with Voldemort Harry's spell had reflected Voldemort's Killing Curse. The reason for this was that Voldemort was using the Elder Wand, a powerful wand which Harry was, due to a quirk of wandlore, actually the master of. Because of this unique situation the wand had refused to work for Voldemort against its master and when his curse met with Harry's it rebounded killing the Dark Lord.

All of this Harry understood. Almost everyone in the Great Hall this morning had overheard his verbal exchange with Voldemort. However he was not prepared to explain the existence of the Elder Wand or that he was its master. The Elder Wand had a long, relatively unknown, but sordid history and it had left a trail of death through wizarding history. It was an incredibly powerful wand and various wizards had search and hunted for it over the centuries. The only way to become the master of the Elder Wand is to defeat the current owner; this had led to the death of the majority of its masters as power hungry wizards sort to wield its might. As such Harry was determined that its location would remain a secret and hopefully its power would be lost if Harry passed on with a natural death.

The problem now was to explain what had happened in the Great Hall. One wrong word and the secret would be out and though he trusted McGonagall and Kingsley, the temptation would always be there. That added to the fact that the more people who were aware of a secret, the more likely it was to be accidently revealed led Harry to be deliberately vague in his response. "Well I don't really know. I guess it has something to do with my mother's protection or that we have brother wands or something but like I said the other stuff was explained to me. This happened after that"

Harry shrugged his shoulders, hoping that Kingsley and McGonagall wouldn't see through his lie. It was a rather feeble attempt at subterfuge but he couldn't think of a better explanation. He looked over at Ron and Hermione but they were both studiously inspecting the desk in front of them. Harry smiled internally at their efforts to feign ignorance. When he looked back at the Minister his face had a look of resignation at not having a sufficient explanation. Professor McGonagall however was looking at Harry with an intense piercing stare very reminiscent of his former Headmaster. Harry tried to nonchalantly return her gaze, knowing that she would instantly decipher any attempt to avoid it. McGonagall was nobody's fool and eventually she would probably piece the puzzle together.

Harry turned away thankfully as Kingsley straightened up to look at the three former students having come to a decision "Harry as far as your first request is concerned it is my ministry's position that there never was any Horcruxes. I certainly understand that there is no need for anyone to ever learn about, or even of, them. But in saying that what exactly are we going to tell everyone that you all were doing for the last eight months?"

Silence again returned to the office as they all considered the problem. Harry noticed that Ron was looking expectantly at Hermione. Hermione seem to notice this too "What?" she exclaimed

"I'm just waiting" he said and expectant smile plastered on his face

Hermione stared blankly back at Ron "Waiting for what?" confusion tinting her voice

"For you to come up with some brilliant idea like you always do 'Mione" he replied with affection

"Hmph" Hermione couldn't help smiling at the compliment

The exchange made Harry roll his eyes and he noticed both Kingsley and McGonagall smirking before they settled back into their contemplation.

It wasn't long before Harry interrupted them "Guerrilla Warfare! That's what we were doing"

This statement was met with an empty silence before Ron began sniggering "Blimey he's lost it" he cried in exasperation

"No seriously, I remembered learning about one night" Harry grimaced as he remembered the night in question. He was in the cupboard under the stairs again. The Dursley's had gotten angry at eight year old Harry for complaining about the pain in his injured arm so they had locked him in it. Uncle Vernon had gotten annoyed at the sound of Harry's crying and so had turned the volume up loud on the TV "My Uncle was watching a documentary on the warfare tactics used in the jungle during the war"

"Do you honestly want us to go around telling people we were off fighting with monkeys? Mental! Leave the thinking to 'Mione Harry it's her job" Ron chuckled

Hermione snorted before explaining with affection "Ron, Harry's talking about a muggle military tactic. Small groups of fighters that make hit and run raids. It's hard to fight against because the units spend most of their time hiding only coming out to make quick raids before they disappear"

Harry marvelled at the breadth of his friends' knowledge, she was the smartest witch he knew and really would read any book she could get her hands on, no matter what the subject.

"Ok, but what's that gotta do with gorillas?" asked a still confused Ron

"Nothing Ron, Nothing at all" said Hermione with a smile

"So" interjected McGonagall "The idea is we will inform everyone that you were simply in hiding while conducting raids on Voldemort and his supporters before drawing him into battle"

The group nodded in agreement

"Good" she said with authority "Now Mr Potter I do believe you still need to elaborate on your second request" McGonagall hinted

With this Harry became shy once again. He didn't like asking people for favours "It's a personal request, I just… … … If it's at all possible… … … Can we avoid the idea that I survived that Killing Curse becoming public knowledge?"

"Why Harry?" Kingsley questioned in disbelief "It's just incredible… what you did, everyone will want to know…"

Harry felt his anger build rapidly "Know How 'I' did it!" snapped Harry finishing Kingsley's sentence "Then once they find out they'll forget that it COST MY MOTHER HER LIFE! Everyone will celebrate what 'I' did! I'll be 'The-Boy-Who-Lived-Again'!" he raged his voice heavy with sarcasm "I just want to be left alone. So many people did more and lost more than I did. I don't deserve this and I certainly don't want it. Please" his voice had become pleading. He was breathing heavily now and felt tears well up behind his eye. He closed his eyes to fight them back

_Lily Screaming, "Kill the Spare!", Sirius falling towards the Veil_

At this Ron reached over to grasp his shoulder while Hermione rushed over and embraced him "It's alright Harry, we can tell people you were knocked unconscious" she said before turning to the others "They don't need to know, do they professor?"

It was more of a command then a question and it raised the eyebrow of the old witch before she replied "No. Indeed Miss Granger I believe that this would be acceptable. Kingsley I don't see how _not_ releasing this information could be detrimental to the public. I think Mr Potter has earned that at least"

"Yes of course, sorry Harry, it's the least we can do" acknowledged the Minister "But I have to warn you I won't lie, if someone starts asking questions I'll give you some warning but lying is out of the question"

Still held within Hermione's embrace Harry managed to thank his Professor and Kingsley before Hermione asked "Was there anything else you needed us for? I think we all could do with some rest"

"Yeah I'd like to get back to my family" added Ron

"Of course, Minister?" asked McGonagall

"Yes, thank you all for your candour, please attend to your needs"

The trio made their way back to the empty Gryffindor common room and stopped in front of the fire place. Ron and Hermione sat down on the love seat and Harry settled into the padded chair closest the fire. Weariness almost immediately began to engulf him as Harry became entranced by the flames. Memories from the earlier in the day started to swirl through Harry's mind…

"Harry… … Harry!" his head snapped up at Hermione's call "Harry I think you need some sleep"

"Yeah mate you look awful" noted Ron

"I'm fine" Harry replied, he wasn't too tired to notice the look his two friends exchanged "Really Hermione I'm fine, I'm just going to talk with Hagrid" he rose and headed for the portrait hole

"No Harry you need some sleep, you haven't stopped since this morning"

"I can't" pleaded Harry, worried about what he sees every time he closed his eyes "I… … … I need to speak to him about what he watched in the forest… … … before he tells everyone"

"It's alright mate, I'll take care of that, my family is probably still down at the lake" offered Ron

Hermione reached out for his arm "Really Harry, you look terrible and you have to look after yourself"

Not really hearing their arguments anymore Harry nodded his head, resigned to the idea that his friends were trying to be helpful. Hermione proceeded to push him up into the seventh year dorm followed by Ron. She stepped outside as Harry began stripping off his clothes before realising he had nothing to wear. Understanding why Harry had stopped Ron dived into the nearest trunk returning with a pair of pyjamas "I think they're Neville's but if they don't fit you can always get Hermione to transfigure them"

Keeping his back to Ron Harry slipped them on ignoring the bright red slash on his chest, he really was too tired to care about a new scar, and he had plenty already, what was one more. He managed to finish dressing before Hermione returned and forced him into a bed "It's either this or I'll take you to Madam Pomfrey, but I'm sure she has enough to worry about without having to look after you. Now get some sleep" she said with a caring smile. It was true the hospital ward was still over flowing with casualties even with the most critical evacuated to St Mungo's.

"Hey guys" said Harry as his friends prepared to leave "I just wanted to say, you know, thanks and… … …"

Hermione came over and hugged him "There's no need Harry, we love you and we would do it again" Ron came to stand beside her "Yeah mate, that's what friends are for"

With that Hermione stood up and cast a set of silencing charms around him to keep out the noise of the outside world before they both left, leaving Harry alone with his thoughts. He didn't know how long he lay there, he knew his body was tired but he didn't want to close his eyes. Eventually exhaustion overtook him and he slipped into a tortured sleep. All day whenever he had closed his eyes he would see flashes of the horrors he had seen. Now sleep trapped him within these images forcing him to relive Cedric's death, Dobby's death, Dumbledore's death and the death and torture of many more. He awoke screaming in the predawn light, tangled in the bed clothes, his body drenched in sweat the images of Fred's final moments still fresh in his mind.

* * *

Harry had trouble getting back to sleep and lay awake waiting for the day to begin. Over and over the worst memories of his life replayed themselves and Harry was unable to escape feelings of fear, lose and anguish which threatened to overcome him. When he decided it was late enough to start the day he managed to scavenge a robe out of Seamus's trunk, It was a bit short and threadbare it would do for now.

He didn't realise until he was completely drenched that he was still wearing his attire from last night, exhaustion still ached throughout his muscles and it was a few minutes more before he could convince himself to strip off. Turning the water up to scolding he showered slowly washing away the blood, dirt and grime from the past two days.

Using the excessive heat he massaged the worst of the pain from his shoulders and neck before stopping to examine the jagged wound on his chest from Voldemort's killing curse. The edges were cold and hard but the middle of the gash was still open, slowly bleeding and light yellow plasma was oozing from within, forming a crust around the border. Harry considered trying to heal it but Hermione was the one who always did it and he knew his healing charms weren't up to par with hers; he'd have to get some dittany from her later.

As he stood beneath the stream of hot water Harry considered his plans for the day. He wasn't really able to think beyond the basics, he needed to have his wound tended to, his stomach was also reminding him that it had been neglected recently. But the most important thing Harry could think of at this point was talking to Ginny. He needed to talk to her. He needed to know if she still felt the same way about him.

Everyone knew the pair had broken up at the end of last year, but nobody knew that this had been a consensual break up. Ginny was unable to join the trio on their quest to destroy the Horcruxes and so had to be left behind, but the girlfriend of Harry Potter would instantly become a target, for her protection they had publicly split. He hoped that she still harboured feelings for him as he wanted nothing more right now than to be reunited with her and be able to call her his witch.

Finished showering Harry emerged into the common room with a plan, he intended to find Hermione, have her heal his wound and then he was going to tract down Ginny. His plan however, was derailed when he discovered Hermione and Ron on the trio's favourite couch engaged in what could only be called a passionate, all encompassing kiss, totally oblivious to the world around them. Distracted from his earlier plan of action Harry stood there awkwardly before a mischievous smile crept onto his face "So" said Harry interrupting the couple "Anything you two wanna tell me?" he asked forcefully with raised eyebrows, arms crossed across his chest.

Pushing Hermione off him Ron jumped to his feet "Well um… … see it just happened… … we um… … Look I really like her and then we were… … Don't be mad but… … The battle was starting and we kissed… … And … and …. What? Why are you laughing?"

Harry who was failing to suppress his mirth at his friend's nervous antics had to sit down in a nearby chair "I'm sorry" he said regaining his composure "Why would I be mad? It's been obvious for ages that you liked each other" with this he smiled at a dismayed Hermione "It's great, I really am happy for you" Harry's stomach chose this point to gurgle and remind him of his neglect "Now if you're able to keep your hands off each other for a while" he smiled as he watched Ron who blushed a deep crimson known as 'Weasley Red' "Would you like to join me for breakfast? Apparently I didn't eat yesterday"

Ron, having recovered from his embarrassment, quickly agreed and the three of them made their way towards the Great Hall. The rest of the trio's morning didn't go to plan either. Before they had even reached their destination they were ambushed by a horde of reporters in the Entrance Hall and had to be rescued by McGonagall and a troop of animated suits of armour. Once they got into the Great Hall Harry quickly lost his appetite as he was confronted by a combination of unwanted attention and haunting memories. It all became too much for Harry when George was escorted into the hall by Percy and Ginny, suddenly he was overwhelmed with the loss of Fred, Lupin and Tonks and found himself running aimlessly through the corridors of the castle and eventually out into the grounds, not caring about a destination he just had to get away from it all.

He kept going for what seemed like hours before he tripped and found himself sprawled face down in the middle of a Forbidden Forest. Not having the energy or the willpower to rise he curled up against the roots of a tree. At some point tears had sprung unbidden from his eyes and as he struggled with the images and memories that engulfed him he couldn't hold them back.

* * *

Midday found Harry sitting by himself on a rock formation near the edge of the forest staring up at his beloved Hogwarts. He was cataloguing in the vast amount of damage visible. The giants that Voldemort had employed had caused an incredible amount of destruction to the castle and its grounds. The most obvious damage was to the Astronomy Tower, which had been all but demolished. A faint haze of smoke swirled above the remnants of the tower as the embers of the fire that had engulfed it towards the end of the battle still smouldered.

The approach of three people drew Harry's attention away. As the group came closer it obvious that it was the Malfoy's trying to make good their escape before anyone took notice of them. Harry knew his position near the path to gates meant the trio would have to pass by him in order to leave. While he had no desire to stop them he had received an owl from Kingsley saying that their amnesty had been approved. Someone would have to inform them of this and if the Malfoy's made it past the edge of the anti-disapparation wards it would be unlikely that anyone would see them again for a very long time.

Sighing with the effort Harry shifted his fatigued body and slid down the rock face. He stepped out past the trees and onto the path. He watched as the Malfoy's reacted to his sudden appearance. Draco angled directly for him and strode boldly ahead of his parents. Lucius quickly followed his son.

When Draco reached Harry's position he stopped a snared "Well if it isn't Saint Potter, Hero of the Wizarding World"

Lucius pushed past his son coming to stand directly in front of Harry "Move aside or I'll end you where you stand!"

Growing up with the Dursley's gave Harry ample experience dealing with the bluster of bullies and now that he thought about it he was able to detach his normal emotive response and ignore the two male Malfoy's. Instead he considered Narcissa. She had yet to do more than continue to ignore Harry but he knew that while neither of the other two would listen to him she just might.

As she approached Harry called out "Narcissa, may I have a word?" by keeping himself civil he hoped he stood a better chance of success.

Stopping she cast a critical eye over him. Harry really didn't know why he was nervous, if they never took the deal he'd organised than it was no skin off his back. He didn't hold Draco in high regard and he would much rather see Lucius spend the rest of his life in Azkaban than the small sentence he would serve if they accepted the deal.

Lucius was a bane on society. He had wheeled and dealed behind the scenes, using his money and power to influence others. Once a top lieutenant to Voldemort, his capture in the Department of Mysteries fiasco had marked the beginning of his fall from favour. His public conviction for being a Death Eater destroyed his value and with the defeat of Voldemort he and his family were now trying to escape capture by Ministry officials.

Being the bully that he was, Lucius was unused to being ignored by people. When Harry continued to look at his wife instead of him he stepped forward, shoving Harry hard in the chest. The force of the shove was enough to cause Harry to lose his balance and stumble backwards. Instantly both wizards had their wands out "I said move aside boy! This is your…."

"Shut up Lucius!" commanded Narcissa as she strode over "The boy asked to speak with me!" she glared at her husband as if daring him to disobey her, apparently there had been a major shift in the balance of power within their relationship and the Malfoy patriarch was being put in his place. He glanced back at Harry giving him a look of complete and utter distaste before stepping back and allowing his wife through. Draco however moved in front of her "Mother, we have more important things to do than stand here and talk with the likes of him" he glanced meaningfully back at the castle, Ministry officials could come for them at any time.

"Enough" she said, pushing past Draco she walked towards Harry "Potter speak your piece"

Harry indicated a spot further along the path "Would you mind?" he wanted to speak privately to the woman. As they walk Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he knew without looking that both of the Malfoy males would be staring daggers at his back. Harry reflexively readjusted his grip on his wand which, in a show of good faith, he was keeping in his robe pocket.

Reaching the area he had chosen Narcissa stopped and Harry again was subjected to an appraisal. Her critical eyes wondered across his face before settling onto his eyes as she tried to decipher his intentions. Taking a slow breath Harry began "I wanted to say thank you" if he had been expecting a reaction Harry would have been sorely disappointed as Narcissa's eyes continued to bore into Harry's "for what happened in the forest"

Narcissa still did not respond but continuing her analysis of the boy before her. Harry began to feel uncomfortable under her gaze and started to wish he'd stayed in the forest. Thinking that she was never going to actually talk with him Harry began to speak again but was interrupted by Narcissa

"Despite what your ego is telling you Potter, I didn't do it for you" she stated with almost regal disaffection. With that she began primping her robes and appeared thoroughly disinterested

Harry was struck by her attitude of smug superiority. Remembering to keep himself civil he continued "At any rate I owe you a debt Narcissa"

Almost dismissively she replied "How touching, was there anything else?"

Having had enough of this interaction Harry decided to get his task over with quickly, taking a wand from inside his robes he pressed it into her hands "Draco might want that back" he said, making it clear that he personally felt he shouldn't but he had to give her something as cover for their conversation. Dropping his voice into a serious tone he looked her in the eye "A word of advice" his tone more than anything caught her attention "Talk to Kingsley, he may have something more for you and Draco"

Her eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips as she digested his suggestion. Shaking her head Narcissa noted "You've a lot to learn Potter, trying to rid yourself of your debt so quickly. You'll find most people, myself included, prefer to call in their markers at a time of _their_ choosing"

Bristling at her implication Harry forcefully stated "Whether you take what Kingsley has to offer or not, the debt still stands" Narcissa appeared genuinely confused by this statement and Harry found her steel blue eyes once again searching deep within his.

"Goodbye Narcissa, I don't imagine we'll be seeing each other for awhile, at least not until you wish to call in your marker" having said all he wanted to Harry attempted to walk back into the forest but was stopped by Narcissa's arm stretching across his chest.

She withdrew her hand slightly before using a single pale finger to press lightly on the spot over his wound "You should have this attended to young man. You hide it well but a practiced eye can tell" Harry looked from her hand back up to her face and he was sure he saw a look of concern before it was replaced with the traditional Malfoy mask.

When she withdrew her hand Harry bobbed his head "Narcissa"

She responded with a curt nod "Potter" with that she turned back to her family who began approaching. Harry stepped over to the side of the path where he had emerged earlier. As he watched Narcissa passed the wand over to her son, then she and Lucius quickly made for the gates. Draco however had decided he had something he wanted to say and hung back

Thinking to head off whatever comment Draco had to say Harry spoke first "You know we don't have to be enemies… … we'll never be friends but we don't have to hate each other either"

Draco however didn't seem to share Harry's sentiment "You think you're so much better than everyone else don't you Potter. You were lucky this time, every time it's just been blind luck. One of these days your lucks going to run out"

Tired of the whole situation with his former classmate Harry turned back toward the forest calling over his shoulder "Go run away with your family Draco"

The lack of response should have been his first clue that Draco was going to do something. Instead it was the hairs on his neck prickling once again that caused Harry to dive to one side and narrowly avoid the '_Diffindo'_ curse that was shot at his back.

Harry's quick reflexes had saved him from serious injury but he had crashed straight into a bush which had further aggravated the gash on his chest. When he managed to scramble upright Draco was standing over him with his wand pointed, his own was lying on the ground in front of him "What are you going to do now Potter? What's to stop me from ending the 'Great Harry Potter' right here, right now?"

"Hagga? Hagga?"

While Draco's curse had missed Harry it had in fact hit the rock formation that he had been heading back to. That rock formation had not appreciated being shot in the side with a cutting curse while he was sleeping. Now Grawp the giant was looking down at Harry and Draco asking for his brother Hagrid.

"Hawee where Hagga?"

Taking advantage of the giant sized distraction Harry managed to grab his wand "Draco this is your last warning go with your parents before you get hurt" he could feel the bleeding from his chest had gotten worse and his light headedness made him realise that he had probably lost a significant amount of blood over the course of the past two days.

Realising he was now on uneven terms Draco backed up the trail while shouting a warning "Watch your back Potter, not everyone will want to pat it, there will be plenty who would prefer to put a knife there!" reaching the path he hurried towards the gates.

"Hawee?"

"Sorry Grawp Hagrid is still at the castle. Why don't you lie back down and I'll go find him" Harry looked the giant over. Harry had run into Hagrid while out in the forest and the groundkeeper had asked Harry to look in on his brother while he attended to some injured house elves in the castle. Grawp had taken a real mauling during the battle. Although to Harry he seemed huge, Grawp was considered a dwarf by normal giant standards.

During the battle Harry had seen that Voldemort had employed at least two full grown giants and the fact that Grawp had survived spoke volumes about his strength and ability. The giant was now covered in bandages especially his head and right arm, the latter of which had nearly been pulled off.

"Grawp down?"

"Yeah Grawp lie down"

"Hawee get Hagga?"

Harry, who had returned to watching the path, nodded at this but realised the giant would probably not understand the gesture. However when he looked back he discovered he didn't need to reply as snores began issuing from what now looked like a perfectly natural looking rock formation, as natural as one with bandages can.

Running his hand across his chest it came away covered in bright red blood even through his robes. He really needed to find Hermione now, she was going to really have a go at him when she looked at it but it was getting worse, not better. Find Hermione, find Hagrid and then find Ginny. With this plan in mind he hurried back onto the path and headed back towards the school. But once again the view that greeted him would completely distract him from his task.

As he approached the castle he found a group of Aurors lining up in front of the entrance way guarding a procession of bodies as they were being carried out onto the grounds. Harry found Neville amongst a group of onlookers

"Neville what's going on?"

Neville jumped as he was brought back to reality by Harry's voice "Oh hi Harry, sorry what were you saying?"

"I was just asking what was happening with this" he gestured towards the bodies which were wrapped in black linen and being born on stretchers out into the grounds

"Oh it's the Death Eaters, well the unclaimed ones and V-V-Voldemort…. …. They're cremating the bodies" Neville pointed towards a large pile of wood which the bodies were now being placed atop of "so no-one can come back and use the remains for anything dodgy"

Harry was taken aback; he hadn't considered what would happen to the bodies, he didn't know what to think, it was all happening so fast. A crowd was gathering around the structure and Harry found himself drifting towards it. This signified the end, the end of his daily struggle with his destiny, the end of the cloud of imminent danger that always loomed over him, the end of Voldemort and his Death Eater cronies.

He wished there were more people her to see it, if he looked at his photo of the original Order of the Phoenix how many would still be alive, five or six out of maybe forty. What about the current Order most of them where dead too. So many. Why? For what purpose? Because some maniac had decided try seize power? It didn't make sense!

So lost was Harry in his internal conflict that he didn't realised Ginny had join him. She looked up into his eyes but he didn't react. He didn't hear her call his name and as the flames began to take hold on the pyres, he didn't see the tears that flowed freely down her cheeks. He didn't feel the tears that ran down his own or her hand as she took hold of his unresisting one.

When Ginny took his hand she must have felt that the inside of it was wet. Pulling her hand back to see what was on it she looked horrified to find it covered in blood. Taking Harry's hand she started looking for the source.

Harry was oblivious to all of this, lost in his own private torment.

"_Kill the Spare!", Ginny lying at the foot of young Tom Riddle, The silver hand strangling Wormtail_

Feeling nauseous and light headed he bent over. The crackle of the flames and the sounds inside his own head prevented Harry from hearing the questions Ginny was asking him. He didn't notice her pat his chest before finding the wet patch on his robes. If he had he might have noticed the rapidly approaching commotion off to his side, but even the most unobservant person in the world will notice when a fist suddenly swings into their vision, unfortunately for Harry that fist then proceeded to collide with his nose with full force, snapping his head backwards and briefly into realty

"MY BLOODY DAUGHTER! WHAT THE HELL GAVE YOU THE RIGHT! SHE WAS JUST SEVENTEEN!"

The man was distraught over the loss of his daughter, a sixth year Hufflepuff, who had stayed behind to fight in the final battle. Harry however was completely unaware of any of this. The punch which had broken his glasses and nose had also caused a large volume of blood to spew out. This coupled with the impact and his earlier blood loss caused Harry to rapidly lose consciousness and he suddenly found himself engulfed in a sea of black.

* * *

Slowly opening his eyes Harry winced as bright sunlight triggered off a pounding headache. Grabbing his glasses Harry looked around and groaned as he realised he was back in the far too familiar surroundings of the hospital wing. Quickly examining himself he discovered his robes seemed to be covered in drying blood but he couldn't figure out where from. He tried to remember what had happened but the last thing he recalled he was standing watching the burning pyres. Where they attacked?

_A fist swinging towards him_

A fist! Someone had punched him he began feeling around his face and gasped in pain as one of his fingers found his broken nose.

"You'll not be wanting to play with that yet, I haven't fixed it Mr Potter" sounded Madam Pomfrey as she stepped in behind the privacy screens. She began moving her wand over Harry's face performing some diagnostic charms "I knew it was just a matter of time before I had you back in this wing, I even had a bed set aside for the purpose" she smiled as she indicated towards the foot of the bed where a small brass plaque read 'RESERVED – H. J. POTTER'

"What happened? I remember a fist and that's about it"

Pomfrey huffed before she explained "Well it appears you have been back with us less than two days and you got yourself into a muggle fist fight. Miss Weasley brought you up in your current state"

"Ginny?" asked Harry a little bit more enthusiastically than he meant to

Her head popped around the edge of the privacy screen "I'm here Harry"

"Hey" any further conversation was cut off by a loud 'Crack' as Harry's nose was magically reset. Being unprepared for the sudden pain Harry cursed then gripped his face while he writhed in pain "ARGHHH!"

"Oh really Potter it would have barely stung" the medi-witch scolded, the tears streaming down his checks voiced silent testimony as to how much it really did "Here take this" she passed Harry a vile of lumpy pink liquid. Being used to the various disgusting looking concoctions used in the hospital wing he barely gave it a second glance as he swallowed it down. He could feel the effect as a freezing cold wave crept over his body. As it reached his nose he could feel what seemed like ants crawling under his skin accompanied by tiny pops as the cartilage fixed itself.

Ginny was smirking at the odd ball look that Harry had on his face "You ok Harry?"

"Yeah that was just one of the weirder sensations I've ever had" she smiled back at him. Here finally was the girl he wanted so desperately to talk to. She was standing just to the side of his bed watching Madam Pomfrey, her bright brown eyes occasionally flicking over towards his face. It was obvious she was nervous and Harry watch as she fidgeted and chewed her lip. A sudden pang of apprehension crossed his mind. What if she had moved on? What if she didn't have feelings for him anymore? Was this even the right time to be thinking about all of this? Using all of his courage he tried to reach for her hand but was interrupted by Hermione rushing into the room.

She pushed past Ginny and engulfed Harry in a massive hug "Harry what happened? I was helping Professor Vector when someone said you where in the hospital wing"

Madam Pomfrey glared at the shrill sounding witch "Miss Granger this is a hospital, people have been hurt and are trying to rest, you will demonstrate proper decorum or you can leave" she admonished

"Sorry Madam Pomfrey" she said sheepishly. The matronly witch huffed before returning to measuring out Harry's next dosage "Harry what happened?"

"I don't know really, Madam Pomfrey says I got into a fist fight down on the grounds. But I don't remember anything" Harry was shaking his head but quickly decided that was probably a bad idea since it caused the room to start spinning. Due to Hermione's enthusiastic hug Harry's chest began reminding him of its injured state. He grimaced at the combined effect.

"I wouldn't really call it a fight Harry" interjected Ginny "If you had been paying attention it might have been, but you were off in your own little world" She was looking at Harry with concern as she recounted the incident "So you didn't notice Heather's father come up. He was all upset and blaming everyone for what happened to her" she didn't elaborate, the names of the Hogwarts fallen were well known to the survivors.

"Anyway he just walked right up to you and punched you in the face" Ginny cringed at the memory "And then there was blood… … everywhere…." She stopped talking and became detached as she tried to remember something, her hand drifting vaguely in a gesture towards his robes

Madam Pomfrey handed Harry a blood replenishing potion before turning to shoo the two girls "Mr Potter can hear the rest of this story when he's discharged, for now he needs his rest" she pushed the girls before her towards the entrance to the privacy screens

Harry was secretly pleased when he saw Ginny struggling against the matron "Wait!" she scrambled back to his bed side. He smiled at her, but his smile dropped when he realised she wasn't even looking at him "His robes had blood on them"

A very cross looking Pomfrey came back to the young witch "Yes Miss Weasley I would have taken care of that in a moment"

"No you don't understand they had blood on them before he got hurt" she insisted. Harry groaned as he realised where this was heading. Ginny reached over and pressed lightly on his chest lifting her fingers up to reveal the bright red liquid now evident "Still fresh" she murmured

"Right you girls out! Mr Potter out of those robes now! I'm going to check you from head to toe"

Hermione stood scowling in the entrance way, Ginny joined her with an identical, if not more angry, look of disapproval on her face before they both turned and left. Harry knew he was going to have some explaining to do. He listened as Pomfrey bustled about muttering about the irresponsibility of youths today and with a resigned sigh started disrobing for his medical exam.

* * *

Madam Pomfrey had spent several hours working on the curse wound on Harry's chest. Finally she was able to seal it but it was itchy and felt cold to the touch. The new scar matched the lightning bolt scar on his forehead except it was currently a deep shade of purple, it sat beside his still pink scar left over from the locket. Pomfrey assured him that it too would turn pink and then eventually fade like the others but it would always be there as a reminder.

Harry was fingering the scar when a deep voice called out to him "Now that's a pair of new ones I haven't seen before" he looked up to see Bill standing at the end of the bed with Ron and Charlie behind him. Bill's shoulder and arm was dressed in bandages

A grin spread across Harry's face "I'll explain mine if you explain yours" pointing to Bill's new bandages.

"It was my fault" said Charlie with a downcast look of guilt "We were at the Burrow and Bill was resetting the wards… we had cleared the first floor of curses and Bill went outside… we should have checked the rest of the house together first but we split up" he was shaking his head in disappointment for his actions. Harry still didn't understand what had happened.

His confusion must have been evident because Bill continued "Charlie came across some guy squatting in one of the bedrooms and must've spooked him. Guy comes running outside firing all sorts of curses left, right and centre" Bill became more serious and glared at his brother as he went on "None of which hit me I might add. Then Charlie comes out, yelling, trips on the back steps and wings me in the shoulder before landing face first in the dirt"

Ron and Harry were both sniggering at the mental image. Charlie was bright red and trying to hide his face from the embarrassment "Look I'm sorry, I tripped" Bill was desperately trying to hold his angry demeanour but his façade broke as first Ron then Harry burst into giggles.

"It's alright bro, this stuff happens" Punching his brother in the shoulder with his good arm Bill looked over to Harry "Right what about you Harry? Mum's gonna have kittens when she see's that" he said pointing to the scar. Harry looked down at the scar feeling the cold uneven surface. Charlie sensing a chance to shift some of his embarrassment chipped in "It's a nice colour though, the girls will think it goes great with his eyes"

All four of the boys chuckled over that

"It's from the forest" admitted Harry "That's where Voldemort's curse hit me" his eyes glazed over

_His loved ones surrounding him in the forest, A Dementor leaning down to give him the 'Kiss', flash of green light_

Ron came closer to talk to Harry "Hermione says it was still bleeding this afternoon when they brought you in. Why didn't you tell me or 'Mione about it?"

"Sorry Ron, I kept meaning to but I always got distracted, you and Hermione pashing on the couch this morning, the bodies being taken…. …."

"Wait! What?" exclaimed Charlie "You and the bookworm finally got together? When did this happen?" both Bill and Charlie looked very excited about the answer to this question

Ron became very self-conscious "I dunno, the day of the battle"

Harry watched both Bill and Charlie's faces dropped in disappointment "Oh man!" pouted Charlie turning to Bill "Who had that day? Tonks? I know McGonagall had the graduation ceremony"

"Ginny I think, she put her bet on them getting together before we won the final battle" replied Bill with resignation

His face burning with indignation Ron turned to his brothers "You placed bets on me and 'Mione?"

"We bet on everything little bro, how could you expect us not to bet on this?" Bill placated before turning back to Charlie "What about Harry's bet, he said they'd get together before they left Hogwart's for the final time, technically he was right"

Harry had been hoping that the brothers would have forgotten about his part in the wager or that they would have the decency to leave it until Ron wasn't in the room but evidently this was not to be the case and Ron rounded on him radiating anger. Harry was kept from whatever Ron had intended to say as Bill interrupted them

"Save it for later guys, mum's here" Mrs Weasley could be heard talking with Madam Pomfrey as they approached. Tossing him a pyjama shirt Bill continued "You'll want to cover that up if you don't want her to fuss"

Grinning at Bill for is forethought Harry quickly pulled the shirt on as Madam Pomfrey came bustling into the room "What are you three doing in here? William you were discharged an hour ago! All three of you out, Mr Potter was supposed to be resting" She quickly chased the three wizards out.

Harry smiled appreciatively at the matron. Normally he tried to escape the hospital ward as soon as possible but with the loss of blood from earlier and his lack of sleep last night he really was feeling quiet tired. Madam Pomfrey had just saved him from what was probably going to be a minor blow out with Ron and he was more than willing to reward her by being a docile patient and getting some sleep.

His plan, as with all the others so far that day, was soon derailed. After she gave him another dose of blood replenishing potion and a pepper-up potion Pomfrey explained "The Headmistress, the Minister and Mr & Mrs Weasley are waiting outside Mr Potter, they would like a word. Once you've finished with them you can be on your way" she said before becoming stern "As much as I enjoy your company Harry I don't want to see you back in here again" as she left the group waiting outside came in.

Immediately Mrs Weasley began to fuss over Harry. When she was eventually placated it was explained that this was an informal meeting and that the group just wanted to know Harry's plans for the future beginning with where he was going to stay

"I don't know really" admitted Harry "to be honest I really hadn't thought much about it, I suppose I was hoping to stay here… at Hogwarts, not the Hospital Wing" he added with a smile

Harry really hadn't looked past his final confrontation with Voldemort knowing he would most likely die at the end. Now that he had survived he just wanted some time to try figure things out. He wouldn't mind staying and going to classes, if he really put some work into it he could probably take his NEWT's. The more he thought about this the better it sounded.

Being in the castle would mean he could avoid the press and he, Ron and Hermione could sort out what they wanted to do. But looking up at McGonagall's resigned frown Harry knew this idea was about to be turned down

"I'm sorry Harry but after consulting with the Governors and the Ministry" she gestured at Kingsley "It has been decided that Hogwarts will closed for the immediate future, until such time as the necessary repairs can be completed. All students are to return home tonight following the evening meal, this includes you Harry"

Harry was crestfallen. He knew that without somewhere to stay he would be returned to the Dursley's until he could make his own arrangements. "Professor couldn't I just stay a week or so, just until I've sorted somewhere? I don't mind helping out"

"The governors were quiet clear, there are to be no exceptions, by tomorrow morning only Hogwarts staff will be allowed within the grounds" Her stern demeanour left Harry knowing she would brook no arguments on this. McGonagall's expression softened as she added "And while I know one day you could make a fine Teacher here, I don't think you're quite ready for that yet"

Harry nodded and smiled at this. That was twice today that she had complemented him. But the overall message was clear, he wasn't staying here "I guess that leaves me with the Dursley's then" sudden inspiration struck "Or Grimmald Place!" he exclaimed

Kingsley cleared his throat a little before speaking "Uh well I've had some of the Order inspect the property and from what I've heard Grimmald Place is not exactly habitable"

But Harry was desperately hanging on to an alternative to the Dursley's "It's alright I'm sure Kreacher and I can fix it up a bit and it'll be fine"

"I don't think you understand" Said Kingsley shaking his head "It really is a mess"

Harry was determined not to return to the Dursley's so he insisted "Trust me I've lived out of a tent for the last eight months or so. I can survive a little bit of mess"

Kingsley was about to reply when Mrs Weasley interrupted "Enough! Harry there is no way you are going to live in that accursed hovel. I will not allow it. Now is a time for family and as such you should be with yours"

Harry's head and shoulders dropped at hearing this. The only living relatives he had were his Aunt, Uncle and Cousin and while they had shown a slight softening of their opinion of Harry recently, he desperately wanted to avoid being forced into their company.

"That's right son. That's why you're coming to stay with us" added Mr Weasley

Harry's head snapped up at this, his heart pounding. Did they just say he could stay with them? So many thoughts rushed through his head that Harry was suddenly left speechless. He hadn't really thought of the Weasley's. He had assumed that with Fred's death and Ron's return that the family would want to be alone together

Mrs Weasley continued "We will not have you staying with those retched people and if you truly want to move into Grimmald Place then you can stay with us while you fix it up. But for the time being you'll have a good roof over your head and some decent food in your stomach. You're looking awfully thin dear"

"Just so you know, for as long as you want it, our home is your home" said Mr Weasley with a smile

Harry beamed in unadulterated happiness at Mr and Mrs Weasley. He had never had the pleasant upbringing that most children enjoy and at the moment Mr and Mrs Weasley were the closest Harry had to parents. Now they given him one of the things he had longed for his entire life – a loving home.

After a long pause, during which Harry simply enjoyed the moment, he finally stammered "Th-thank you so much, I'd love to"

The Weasley's smiled back at Harry

"Well now that we have had that sorted" said McGonagall "I don't suppose you've thought of what you'd like to do now Harry?"

"What do you mean Professor?"

"Well I believe the last time we spoke on this subject you expressed you desire to become an Auror" at this Kingsley perked up with interest "Is this still the case?" she continued

"Well I don't really know, I hadn't really…. … planned… … or thought I … I … just" Harry shrugged his shoulders. He hadn't really thought much beyond his final reckoning with Voldemort. If he honestly thought about it he hadn't expected to live into adulthood, too much had been stacked against him. He didn't even have his NEWTs, how was he supposed to plan for a future career without those?

As if reading his mind Kingsley spoke "I don't imagine there would be too much that would be out of your grasp Harry, I think a lot of people will be clamouring to employ you"

Harry still had no answer "I just haven't thought about that sort of stuff, I'm sorry"

"Harry there is no need to apologise to us, we're simply wanting to help you with anything" commented Mr Weasley

"Yes well, I think we should leave that for now" decided Professor McGonagall "I believe Poppy has released you Harry so if you'd like you can accompany Arthur and Molly down to the Great Hall for dinner"

"Thank you Professor"

As they group made to leave Kingsley approached Harry "At some point Harry, I'll need to speak to you and the other two regarding a break in at a certain well known wizarding bank, it appears the goblins are a little hot under the collar about it" Harry nodded silently as he realised he could be in serious trouble. Robbing a bank was unlikely to go unpunished.

Seeing his expression Kingsley added "Don't worry Harry, the goblins are probably looking to save face. We will definitely have to make some sort of arrangements with them but we'll leave that for another day"

He gave Harry a pat on the shoulder before following the rest of the groups out

Harry quickly dressed and joined the Weasley's as they made their way towards the Great Hall. While they walked Harry reflected on this latest meeting. He realised that the group had come to him to offer their guidance and it suddenly struck him as to the significance of this. They had obviously cared enough about him to worry and they had felt the need to act in lieu of his parents. This was what had struck him, not that his parents were dead; they had been since before he could remember. It was that anyone he had considered a parental figure had also been killed. Dumbledore, Sirius and now Lupin were all dead.

Mr and Mrs Weasley, Kingsley, McGonagall and Hagrid (Harry had been informed that he wanted to be at the meeting but was still tending to the various injured creatures on the grounds) had all realised that he had no-one to turn to. That was the reason for the meeting. He was alone. Everyone was dead. Almost half the people he had become close to in his life time were dead and the rest carried at least one scar on their body, many more than one, which they could attribute directly to being associated with him.

_Snape killing Dumbledore, 'Brains' attacking Ron, Lupin Transforming, Barty Crouch Sr. in the woods_

It wasn't until he was disturbed by the revelry of some Ministry officials did Harry realise he was sitting next to Neville in the Great Hall. He had been sitting staring at an empty plate when the official in question had placed an arm around him and tried to raise a toast. When Harry became aware of the action he shrugged the wizard off and turned away in exasperation.

While he could understand the outsiders being in a celebratory mood Harry felt it was rather inappropriate to be acting that way in front of the people who had actually sacrificed the most to achieve this victory. The whole situation was beginning to get on his nerves when the meal concluded and Professor McGonagall gave her speech. In typical McGonagall style it was brief and to the point. The main thrust of her speech was that while the wizarding world should celebrate this victory and mourn their loses, the war was still not over and that even now fresh reports of Death Eater attacks were still coming in.

When her speech was finished Harry joined the Weasley's outside on the grounds. The pyre was still smouldering nearby and large tracts of earth were scorched or had been torn apart, he could see that half the quidditch stadium had been obliterated most likely by a pair of wrestling giants and that there was still debris floating upon the great lake.

Standing next to Ron and Hermione he looked back at the castle "Everything is different now" commented Harry

Surveying the damage on the grounds Ron replied "Don't reckon it'll ever feel the same being back here"

Glancing at the faces of George, Mr and Mrs Weasley Harry couldn't help but agree

"Come on Harry, time to go home" said Ron gesturing to the portkey that Mr Weasley was holding

Taking one last look around him Harry couldn't help feel a sense of sadness about everything. Never again would this castle feel like the loving home he had always thought it was. Even once they cleared the debris and fixed the damage it would always act as a reminder of the battle, of the war as a whole, of all the loss that came attached to both of them. It would never be the same.

With a resigned sigh Harry nodded and placed a finger on the broken umbrella that was held in Mr Weasley's hand. It wasn't long before it glowed blue and Harry felt the familiar tug from behind his navel.


	3. Return to the Alley

Return to the Alley

If Harry had expected that arriving at the Burrow would allow him to push aside the events of the past few months he was sorely mistaken. Upon his arrival with the portkey he was confronted with the damaged caused by the Death Eaters soon after the Weasley's had dropped into hiding. Most of the possessions they had left behind had either been looted or damaged. Charlie and Bill had already gone through and lifted a number of residual curses but even now the family were uncovering more and Ginny discovered that the resident ghoul was missing. Harry sincerely hoped it was merely hiding out somewhere as the family and in particular Ron had become quite fond of it

All of this was further compounded when Percy located the Weasley family clock. It was one of Harry's favourite objects in the house; there was a hand for every member of the Weasley family and the hands pointed to the activity that that particular family member was engaged in. Mrs Weasley became distraught when she found Fred's hand had turn black and dropped from the clock face. Later when Bill and Charlie arrived carrying Fred's body Mrs Weasley had to be taken to her room and given a sleeping draught in order to calm her down.

Fred's body was laid out in the living room and Mr Weasley and George set up a vigil on a couch that Bill transfigured for them. Hermione, who was also staying at the Burrow, informed Harry that this was a part of wizarding tradition

"From the time a wizard or witch passes they must be watched over by a loved one until their funeral, which traditionally takes place on the third or fourth day after their passing" she informed him "Professor McGonagall held vigil over everyone at Hogwarts until they were claimed" Harry could easily see her performing this duty. She may have been a strict disciplinarian but McGonagall loved her students dearly and their welfare was always top of mind for her.

Feeling uncomfortable as a spectator to another family's mourning Harry and Hermione decided to go to bed early, Charlie and Bill had already put the various bedrooms somewhat back to rights but there was a lot of damage still to repair. The next few days promised to be long, full of hard work and sorrow.

As Harry lay in bed he found sleep hard to come by, he couldn't help wondering who had sat vigil over his parents. There was so much he still didn't know about his family and he realised that the majority of people who knew them were no longer alive to tell their tale. Eventually after what seemed like an eternity to Harry, he drifted off to sleep.

XXXXX

Choosing instead to stay up with his father and brother, Ron never made it to bed that night. If he had he would have quickly woken his best friend from his nightmare filled dreams. Instead Harry endured that night in solitude and, thanks to the silencing charm that he had habitually placed on his door, the Burrow remained completely unaware of the soul wrenching cries issuing from within Ron's bedroom.

When Harry awoke in the morning he felt anything but rested, thrashing about all night had caused his limbs ached and his throat was raw from screaming. As he thought over what he could remember of his nightmares horror began to overwhelm him. Needing to escape and distract himself, Harry quickly made his way to the bathroom.

This room too had been trashed with all the fittings having been torn from the room, in the corner a blue orb, that Harry had been warned was a containment spell, projected out from the wall enclosing some sort of dark magic, its glow provided the only illumination in the room. He was thankful when he found that the shower had been repaired and was able to take refuge beneath a torrent of blistering hot water.

He didn't know how long he stayed in the shower but when he emerged he felt slightly better, the aches in his body had lessened by a degree but Harry was still exhausted. After drying himself off and dressing he turned to leave when someone starting banging on the door

"I don't care who's in here! It's been more than half an hour and…." Ginny faltered as Harry opened the door

"Sorry Gin" he muttered as he tried to exit, he found himself pushed up against her as made to squeeze past her stunned form. He reached a point where he was unable to proceed any further without rubbing a part of his anatomy, which was already becoming excited, against her. Frozen in what was quickly becoming a compromising position it was a moment before Ginny realised his dilemma and moved back to give him space

The pair stood on the landing outside the bathroom each unsure of what to say to the other. Harry knew what he wanted to say but now that he was here, at the Burrow, with Fred's dead body lying on the next floor down, it felt inappropriate to be bringing up restarting a romantic relationship. The timing was all wrong, the creature within him that always responded to Ginny's presence growled its displeasure. Harry wished he could convey what he felt but he couldn't bring himself to say it. Instead the pair of them remained standing silently on the landing looking at each other.

The deadlock was broken as Ron came up the stairs "Harry mate, Hermione wants you to come help in the kitchen, apparently I'm rubbish at that sort of stuff and she won't let me help her"

Harry turned to Ron and was about to tell him to give him a moment when he heard the bathroom door close behind him. Looking back at the door he sighed and followed Ron down the stairs.

Entering the living room Harry looked over to see Mrs Weasley had joined Mr Weasley and George on the couch. Fred's prone form lay in front of them atop a white silk bedding, he appeared to almost float on top of it. The room was covered in a blanket of flowers and Percy was standing next to a stack of conjured glass vases and methodically untying bundles of stems, placing them in the vases before Charlie, using his wand, directed them to any free space in the room. Harry could see owls lined up at each of the windows, every one of them carrying a new bouquet.

"They started turning up first thing this morning" said Ron as the pair watched Charlie at navigate his way back to the owls "Hundreds of them, people can't make all the funerals cos there's too many of them so….." he trailed off as he gestured towards the flowers "The giant flytrap in the corner is from Hagrid, apparently he can't leave Grawp alone at the moment, afraid he might run away"

Ron directed Harry towards the kitchen before leaving to help Charlie and Percy. When Harry reached the door way he quickly recognised that Hermione was in over her head cooking breakfast.

"Hermione? Do you want a hand?" asked Harry

The withering glare he received was enough to tell Harry that he should've just jumped in and helped rather than ask stupid questions. He surveyed what Hermione was trying to make: sausages, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, toast... Harry grimaced when he saw she was also frying mushrooms. For the past eight months they had lived off whatever fungus that they could find growing nearby. If Harry never saw a mushroom again it would be too soon. Deciding to make a start he tipped the now burnt pan of sausages into the trash. Realising that all the equipment was uncharmed he asked Hermione about it

"Well yes, it had all been stolen hadn't it" she snapped "I had to go into the village and buy some food and pans" she was still glaring at Harry when she continued "By the way I still haven't forgiven you for not seeing me about the curse wound"

"Look I'm sorry, I kept meaning to ask you to look at it but I kept getting distracted" Harry began pushing the sausages to the side of the pan before adding some bacon.

"Still you're going to make this up to me" she said unequivocally

The pair continued on preparing breakfast, as they worked Hermione made plans for a trip to Diagon Alley. They needed more supplies for the rest of the household and she wanted to take the burden off of the Weasley family. When Ginny came down from her shower and overheard their conversation she invited herself along too explaining "Look I won't survive being cooped up in this house like this. I need to get out, I need to be doing something"

Having finalised their plans together a mischievous looking Hermione rounded on Harry "I know what your punishment is going to be. You are coming with us"

Harry, who had been imagining having to write notes for her while she devoured endless volumes of texts from the library, couldn't help laughing aloud at her proposed 'punishment'. Seeing Hermione's angry expression Harry schooled his features and explained "I'm sorry Hermione, but I don't see spending the day with one of my best friends and ... well... Ginny as being much of a punishment. I mean I know you two might talk about girly stuff every now and then but it's not that bad"

Ginny might have bristled slightly at not being referred to as one of his friends but he failed to notice when he saw Hermione's mischievous look return, too late did Harry realise that he had gone right where she had wanted him to "Oh don't worry, me and Ginny will have plenty of time to talk about 'girly' stuff. You however will be too busy carrying everything we buy to worry about our conversation and there will be no magic involved" Harry was going to protest this requirement but thought better of it. Figuring he was still getting off lightly he nodded his agreement to her condition. "Also we will not be visiting Quality Quidditch Supplies or any of the other shops _you_ want to go to. You Harry, are there to carry everything for us – I repeat no magic allowed and... and... no complaining either. In fact no speaking what so ever unless spoke to. Are we clear?"

Harry humbly submitted it would damage his friendship with Hermione if he refused and he owed so much to all of his friends that he was more than willing to do this, even for what he thought was, for the most part, an imagined slight.

Although the banter in the kitchen may have been light-hearted the mood of the house was still one of deep felt grief. Having finished cleaning up after a cheerless breakfast that nobody really touched Harry found himself apparating into Diagon Alley with Hermione and Ginny. There had been an awkward moment when they discovered that the Burrow's supply of floo powder had been pilfered and the trio had decided to apparate. The awkwardness came when they realised that Ginny would have to be side-along apparated. Both Harry and Hermione had instantly offered to do it resulting in a pregnant silence as she didn't respond to either offer. Finally Hermione had just taken a hold of her wrist and, as Ginny shrugged at Harry, apparated her away.

When Harry looked around from the apparition point he found the two girls waving at him from near the entrance to the apothecary. Making his way over Harry examined the Alley for the first time since their conspicuous exit from Gringotts Bank, it was covered in confetti and streamers making it obvious that a large street party had been held last night. He didn't bother wondering at the reason, numerous discarded Daily Prophets were scattered throughout the alley with POTTER PREVAILS printed in bold.

He had heard stories of the unbridled celebrations that had occurred back in eighty-one and he could imagine that this time around few people would have held anything back. Judging by the lack of people present the party probably hadn't ended until very recently and most of the public were at home sleeping it all off. Harry didn't mind this one bit. The less people around the better; he wanted to remain as anonymous as possible.

A few shop owners stood in the door ways of their stores chatting. There were still a number of undesirable number one posters up and evidence of many more having been torn down, there was even one of Ron and Hermione "Wanted for Questioning" Harry had to smirk at that.

Most of the buildings that he could see were closed and boarded up, including Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Feeling his emotions beginning to stir beneath the surface Harry forced himself to look further down the alley but his view fell upon the entrance to Gringotts. It still appeared the worse for wear from having a dragon smash out through its front doors.

_Avoiding the tail of a Hungarian Horntail, Room filling with magically replicating cups, Aragog's nest_

Harry was brought back to reality by Ginny

"Harry you alright?"

"Huh oh just remembering our ride on that Dragon" he said this with an amused smile at Hermione

This statement perked Ginny's interest "That's true! You guys actually raided Gringotts on a dragon, everyone was talking about it at school and I didn't know what to believe"

Hermione hushed Ginny while Harry took a quick look around. While he didn't want attention from anyone, he _really_ didn't want to come to the attention of the goblins, especially after the warning delivered by Kingsley. Seeing that the coast was still clear he returned his attention to Ginny's expectant face

"Yeah it's true…."

Further explanation was cut off by Hermione interrupting and prodding Harry in the shoulder "Now remember Harry, you're just a porter on this trip, no talking" she chided and turned to move towards the Alley

Ginny gave Harry a wry smile from behind Hermione's back before shaking her head and joining her friend

'Today is going to be a long day' observed Harry to himself before falling in behind the other two

XXXXX

Two hours later and Harry was struggling under the burden of eight heavy bags. The weight wasn't so much of a problem as the bulk was. The number of customers shopping in the Alley had picked up significantly and he was having trouble keeping up with two girls as they flittered from shop to shop. Despite this Harry was enjoying spending time away from everything in what he was almost tempted to describe as a care free environment.

Ginny was keeping him entertained with a continuous run down of all the social changes that had happened at Hogwarts; who was dating who, what the latest gossip was. Harry noticed however that she avoided mentioning anything about what had actually happened while the trio had been away and that she would often become quiet for a few seconds before moving on to the next item of interest. Not once had Ginny mentioned either of the Carrows or Snape.

The two girls were trying to keep the excursion light hearted but Harry often felt that their conversation was strained. Ginny especially would take on a sombre mood and glance covertly towards Fred and George's boarded up shop. When Harry noticed her doing this again he wished he knew what to say, instead he settled for placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up gratefully before continuing on with the group's errands.

They were leaving a small wizarding kitchen store and Ginny had just finished describing the latest scandal (in which Lavender Brown had been seen leaving a cupboard with Anthony Goldstein, when Anthony was supposed to be going out with a sixth year Hufflepuff) when a woman in bright yellow robes suddenly latched onto Harry's arm

"It's you isn't it!" her awe filled eyes doing the customary flick up to his scar "Harry Potter! I just knew it"

The woman grabbed Harry's hand forcing him to drop the bags he was carrying and started profusely thanking him for defeating the Dark Lord. Not knowing what to say he looked to his two friends for help but discovered he was being separated from them by a fast growing crowd. Soon others began clamouring to touch and talk to their 'Saviour' he felt his clothes being tugged on and more than one person tried to actually touch his forehead. An elderly man in muggle attire attempted to hug Harry. Feeling beset on all sides Harry did the only thing he could think of and thrust the bags of shopping at his assailants and began pushing his way towards Hermione and Ginny.

Hermione had quickly drawn her wand and was standing back to back with Ginny. Both were using their shield charms to fend off the overeager mass of admirers.

Pushing his way towards the pair Harry began feeling anxious. He wasn't sure why but an overwhelming urge to protect his friends caused him to redouble his efforts to get to them. Approaching the girls the sudden movement of a wizard lunging towards Hermione forced Harry to react.

Acting purely on instinct he dove straight into Hermione and simultaneously attempted to send a stunning spell at her attacker. While the stunning spell was effective in rendering her aggressor unconscious, it failed to halt his forward momentum. As all three of them crashed to the ground just behind Ginny, Harry felt a sharp pain in the front of his right shoulder

Hermione was quick to her feet and started forcing the overeager crowd back. Harry however was suddenly feeling weak and was unable to raise himself up and so lay where he fell. He could feel a sharp pain pulsating out of his shoulder and a pool of warmth spreading from the area. Eventually he forced himself to roll onto his back and gripped his injured shoulder. The movement had caused a violent pain to explode from the injury site and was accompanied by the sensation of something grinding against bone. He recognised the warm sticky liquid he found under his fingers as being blood and discovered the source was a thin blade protruding from just below his collar bone. Looking up he watched as a team of Aurors arrived outside of Fortesque's closed ice cream parlour and began clearing the area.

A woman who saw the blood coming from his shoulder screamed and other onlookers who could see the blade itself began pointing and yelling. Suddenly, as if an order had been given the crowd dispersed. No one was going to wait around and see if this was another Death Eater attack. Ginny was still standing over him in defence, but with the removal of the immediate threat she scrambled down to his side. She started trying to tend to him as Hermione raced off to find an Auror to help them

With a look of concentration Ginny was using her fingers to probe around the edges of the injury "Merlin Harry how do you always end up like this? I swear you spend more time with the majority of your blood on the outside of you rather than the inside… Well it's not bleeding too much so I don't think it's hit anything… How bad does it feel?" her hands were now press firmly around the blade on top of the wound.

His mind was not exactly functioning normally and Harry's thoughts began wandering. Just as he finished thinking that Ginny was too practiced at doing this type of thing Harry remembered what she had asked. It was supposed to be hurting, it had hurt to begin with, but now it didn't. In fact it felt kind of numb and was beginning to tingle.

Harry looked over to the object sticking out of him "I think something's wrong with my shoulder Gin"

Rolling her eyes she smiled and continued to apply pressure to his injury "Yes Harry there's a dagger sticking out of it"

"No Gin, I mean I can't feel it anymore, my whole arm has gone numb"

Hermione who had just returned crouched down beside him began squeezing his hand "Can you feel this Harry"

Unable to feel anything except a slight burning sensation he shook his head. A sense of déjà vu began to surface as he remembered the Chamber of Secrets and the effect of the Basilisk venom.

_Ginny lying on the chamber floor, Being taunted by a young Tom Riddle, Basilisk fang striking his leg_

Zoning back in Harry suddenly began understanding the similarities, he was very lethargic and his breathing didn't feel right. Feeling his consciousness slipping he grabbed Hermione's arm and used the last of his strength to pull her close and whisper "Poison" seconds later he passed out.

XXXXX

When he opened his eyes it took Harry a few seconds to figure out he was back at the Burrow. More specifically in Ron's room judging by the plethora of orange Chudley Cannons posters that covered the wall. This was twice in two days he had woken up after being attacked; at this rate he wasn't going to survive the week. Seeing a fuzzy face nearby he reached for his glasses and felt them being handed to him. Putting them on he smiled as Hermione's stern face resolved into focus

"Don't ever scare me like that again Harry Potter" she scolded

Slowly sitting upright Harry reached up to feel his bandaged shoulder; it didn't feel sore but when he rotated the joint it felt very stiff. He looked over and seeing Hermione eyeing his bindings he couldn't help remarking "So does this make up for everything, I mean I went and took a knife for you"

Obviously not in the mood for cracking jokes she began lecturing "It's not funny Harry, don't you dare joke about this. Do you know how close it was? It was touch and go even at St Mungo's. Merlin Harry! Ginny and I were so worried and when we brought you here Mrs Weasley went into hysterics, she was screaming and you know what she's like when she's upset, the healers had to give her another calming draft"

"It's not like I meant to get hurt Hermione, I was trying to protect you" at this her expression softened and she relented "I'm sorry Harry I shouldn't be having a go at you, but you scared us" she dabbed away at her eyes before continuing "And thank you"

Harry smiled as he nodded. After a pause he asked a question that had been puzzling him "So why am I here not a St Mungo's?"

Hermione explained that St Mungo's was still dealing with the aftermath of the Hogwarts battle and that there had been retaliatory raids by surviving Death Eaters including an especially bad one near Exeter that had filled up the wards

"As soon as they had figured out the poison and gotten most of it out of your system they said we could take you home and let you sleep it off"

"So it was a poisoned blade then?"

"Dipped in Aconite" confirmed Hermione

Harry recognised the name but couldn't remember what it was, thinking of the symptoms he experienced and what he could recall from his potions lessons he took a guess at its common name "Wolfsbane?"

"Well done Harry, now do you remember what to use to counter act poisoning with Wolfsbane?"

Typical Hermione thought Harry, turning this experience into a learning opportunity. One day she really would make a great teacher "No idea"

"Come on its second year potions... … Fine you use boiled Mandrake leaves and you combine that with salamander's blood, hair from a tarantula…." As she carried on listing ingredients Harry couldn't help thinking that he would rather not have known all of this. He grimaced as Hermione continued and informed him that he would have to drink this concoction once every few hours for the next week. With malevolent glee she added "Kreacher is making your next dose now"

Preferring not to think about the prospect of drinking boiled Mandrake leaves Harry asked "When did Kreacher arrive?"

"A few hours ago, just after lunch. He's helping Mrs Weasley organise everything for tomorrow…" Harry noticed her tone was slowly dropping "Fred's funeral is going to be first thing in the morning. We didn't want to set anything else in stone without you but the Ministry has set Tonks and Professor Lupin's funeral for just after lunch and we thought you'd want to attend that one"

Harry simply nodded in acknowledgment before she solemnly continued "McGonagall wants the Order to have a short memorial just before that, for everyone they've lost. Also we've been invited to a number of the other funerals but there's only a few in the afternoon"

Knowing that the funerals were coming had not helped Harry prepare for this. There were so many, but he knew he would probably only be able to attend one or two. Harry confirmed with Hermione he would attend the Order memorial and after a discussing the invitations for the other funerals decided on attending Colin Creevey's "I feel like I should attend them all, it hardly seems fair not to" he concluded

"I know Harry; I think Colin would appreciate you being there, he really looked up to you"

If Hermione's words were aimed at making Harry feel better they missed their mark. He knew it was normal to feel sorrow and sadness for the recent events, but years of living under the strict authoritarian regime of the Dursley's had simply beaten out his ability to show what they termed 'inappropriate emotions'. Because he felt a lump rising in his throat Harry returned to his preferred stratagem for dealing with being upset, he straightened up and pushed on for a new subject "So where is everybody else then?"

Harry watched as concern flittered across Hermione's face. She would want to direct the conversation back towards its previous subject. Hermione knew him too well for him to fool her but Harry was well disciplined in avoiding these types of conversations and persevered with his preferred topic "I mean I would've expected at least one of the Weasleys to be here"

He watched her nod in acceptance of his change in subject but could tell Hermione was cataloguing this topic. She might be prepared to let it drop for now but she was certainly going to bring it back up later on. As he watched her Harry was suddenly made nervous by the look of feigned indignance that Hermione now affected "Is that so Mr Potter?" she asked with arched eyebrows "Was I not the person you wanted to wake up to Harry? Or perhaps I'm not the right _girl_?" her look of indignance had now changed to a mocking half smile

Harry knew where this was going. He and Hermione were very close friends, not that he and Ron weren't, Ron is his best mate but when it came to personal things he tended to be a bit closed off. Hermione however was very good at reading him, willing to listen and able to talk about subjects that her boyfriend would prefer to avoid at all costs. Recently they had been able to open up to each other concerning their private feelings for a certain pair of red heads.

Feeling a blush rising on his cheeks Harry countered "I don't know what you're on about Hermione. I was just thinking that since this is your _boyfriend's_ bedroom, that he would have been here"

His blush was quickly matched by hers as she rolled her eyes "Yeah right Harry, I couldn't count the number of times I saw you up, late at night, watching the Marauder's Map. You can't tell me you were planning something to do with Hogwarts because we didn't decide to go there until the last moment. Tell me Harry did you ever really stop liking her or was this whole thing one big noble sham?"

Slumping his shoulders in defeat Harry avoided looking over at Hermione he wasn't going to be able to turn this around on her and he just could bring himself to talk about where this conversation was headed "Don't Hermione, just don't" he pleaded half-heartedly. Normally he would overcome his ingrained awkwardness and be able to share this kind of thing her but everything was so confusing right now. Harry just wanted time for everything to settle down.

"You really need to talk to her. I know you Harry; if you don't talk to her soon you'll bottle everything up inside and wait for her to make the first move"

Harry still remained silent, choosing instead to inspect a hole in the Cannon's duvet he was sitting on. He didn't want to admit she was right. Anyway the last time had been different he though, she had been going out with Dean and he had also been worried about Ron's reaction. He wished Hermione would just let it go, but this wasn't to be as she continued "I'm pretty sure she feels the same way about you Harry. I don't think you have anything to worry about"

"I have nothing to worry about? Nothing to worry about!" This simple statement must have touch some unknown raw nerve because Harry found himself giving vent to all his worries "What if she doesn't actually feel that way about me anymore Hermione? What if I've changed too much? What if she's changed? What if she's moved on? What if… what if…" having worked himself up Harry was now found himself struggling for breath

Hermione quickly pushed him onto his back "Breathe Harry, Breathe. Merlin Harry your heart is going faster than a firebolt, look at me! You need to calm down!" she grabbed his chin and forced him to look directly at her "There's still poison in your shoulder Harry. Getting excited will spread it further through your body. You need to calm down"

Harry closed his eyes and breathing deeply practiced his rudimentary occlumency techniques. He fought the sense of panic that had overwhelmed him and after a few minutes of concentration he was able to bring his heart rate under control. A slight tingling in his shoulder gave evidence to the further spread of poison residing there.

"Your body is still weak, so it can't handle the stress; you have to keep your emotions under control"

When Harry opened his eyes he focused on the ceiling. Hermione released her grip on his chin and sat back down on the side of his bed. Seeing her concern he relented a little and quietly explained "The reason I haven't said anything is the timing. What am I supposed to say 'Hey Gin sorry about Fred, fancy going out with me again?' It's just not the right time ok? Now can we talk about something else?" looking over to Hermione he waited for her submit to his wishes. He knew she meant well, she had always been supportive of him and he felt bad for trying to shut her out.

With a gentle sigh Hermione took up the original subject "So you wanted to know where all the Weasleys are… Well Mrs Weasley and George are still sitting with Fred. I don't think George will leave his side until tomorrow, to be honest I don't know how he's going to handle it"

Harry knew she was right, he couldn't imagine losing either Ron or Hermione but they had only known each other for seven years. Fred and George had obviously been joined at the hip since birth and Harry kept coming back to the same conclusion; with Fred's death George had lost a part of himself.

"Bill and Fleur have gone back to Shell Cottage, I think they really wanted some alone time" continued Hermione "Charlie and Ron went out on an errand this morning, they haven't been back. Percy is with Mr Weasley, who's in a meeting at the Ministry, from what I've heard Kingsley's having a hard time just trying to find bodies to occupy chairs let alone reform the government. Percy might get his job back or at least another job with the Ministry. Oh and then…. There's…." Hermione slowly stopped talking as she got to the final Weasley

Taking another calming breath Harry swallowed his frustration. Hermione was just looking out for his health but at the moment he was under control "I'm fine Hermione" holding out his wrist for her to feel his pulse he continued "you can talk about Ginny. I'm not that bad"

Pushing his hand away she slowly picked up where she had left off "Yes well, then there's Ginny…. Um… well… she's out with… well you see…"

Harry huffed in annoyance, she was dodging around the subject and that was beginning to get on his nerves

Hermione finally gave in "Fine… um, she's outside... showing-your-protection-detail-around-the-grounds"

At first Harry didn't hear what she had said, but he had a lot of practice listening to her rushed explanations and had taught himself remember the diatribe as a whole and then figure it out piece by piece afterwards. When he finally deciphered her hurried final statement he sat up and looked at a very sheepish looking Hermione "Kingsley did WHAT!" Harry fought valiantly to maintain his head but lost and began to vent "I don't need protection! WHY IN MERLIN'S NAME! I… I… I…" in his weakened state it didn't take much for Harry to start hyperventilating again

There was absolutely no way Harry wanted to have a bunch of babysitters watching his every move like the Order had for years. He had come of age so as far as the wizarding world was concerned he was an adult. He couldn't believe that they were going to treat him like a child just because he got a little scratch on his shoulder. This was totally unacceptable.

"Harry!" snapped Hermione "Calm down, Breathe! You need to…" whatever he needed to do was cut off by an Auror bursting into his room. Harry recognised him as one of the team who had turned up at Diagon Alley.

"Miss Granger you were told to keep him calm" reprimanded the Auror, reaching into his robe the Auror pulled out black crab-like object and to Harry's chagrin grabbed his chin and thrust it into his mouth "Chew Harry!"

Not knowing what the wizard had put in his mouth Harry hesitated, by now however he was struggling to breathe and the Auror became more insistent "Come on Harry I need you to trust me" seeing no other option he bit down into the unknown object in his mouth. Whatever it was, it was soft and squirted out so much liquid that Harry had to quickly swallow. He barely had time to register that the liquid tasted similar to aniseed before the room swam before him and he fell back onto his bed. He was overwhelmed by a kind of euphoric paralysis. Unable to move as a myriad of shapes and images danced before his eyes Harry heard the far off sounding voice of the Auror speaking to Hermione "Give him a couple of seconds, then he'll be back with us"

As his world righted itself and the kaleidoscope of colours and images dissipated Harry slowly sat back up. Unfortunately whatever the Auror had pressed into his mouth was still there and beginning to move. Figuring it was better out than in Harry spat the object onto the bed in front of him where it began to move.

"Well done Mr Potter" commended the Auror as he picked the item up and put it in a jar with nine others "most people swallow the Chizpurfle after a trip like that, which can lead to some interesting consequences" Picking up the jar Hermione looked fascinated by these creatures. Harry however was sure his insides were doing flips as he remembered reading that a Chizpurfle was a parasite found in the fur of some magical creatures.

"Now these are our little secret, you need to be careful with them and _only_ use them if you're losing control. Keep them in the jar at all times, keep them away from anything magically important like ya wand and try not to swallow one. I really shouldn't be letting you have these" said the Auror taking the jar from Hermione "They're dangerous and I'd appreciate it if you guys wouldn't tell anyone I gave them to you"

He placed the jar of chubby large fanged critters on the table beside Harry's bed before extending his hand "Mr Potter I think introductions are in order, I'm Damien Fournier head of your detail"

Fournier looked to be in his mid twenties, tall and well built with short golden hair that looked as if he spent a great deal of time spiking it up every morning. He had deep gruff voice and seemed to exude confidence.

Harry shook his hand "It's just Harry" Fournier nodded before Harry continued "I'm sorry but I don't need a bodyguard or anything like that, you're just wasting your time here"

"As much as I would like to respect your wishes Harry. Unfortunately the Minister himself personally ordered my team here and he outranks both of us, so basically we both don't have a choice in the matter" while saying this Fournier had risen from his crouch next to the bed. He was now alert and standing facing the door, wand in hand. Casting a glance around the room he looked back to Harry and whispered "Does this family have a house-elf?"

"I have one" responded Harry not knowing what the problem with that was

Nodding Fournier quickly jerked open the door to find Kreacher standing there poised obviously for eavesdropping. Having been caught off guard the elf stood frozen for a moment before moving into the room as if nothing had happened, he was carrying a large glass flask with a reddish-brown liquid slowly churning inside. "Master Harry Sir, I has your potion" The ancient elf bowed low as he presented the concoction to Harry

Taking the flask in both hands Harry thanked the elf and tried to dismiss him. Kreacher however had other ideas "No Master Harry, madam Weasley forbid me to return, unless that you had swallowed the entire dose one way or the other" he made this last comment almost menacingly. Harry could well imagine the elf trying to pry his mouth open and forcibly pour the foul looking liquid down his throat.

Harry thought about pulling rank on Mrs Weasley but a quick look at Hermione told him he would endure more grief than it would be worth. She had been a staunch advocate for elf rites since her fourth year when she had established S.P.E.W. and Harry knew he would never hear the end of it if he began ordering Kreacher around. He hadn't even wanted the elf in the first place but his godfather Sirius Black had bequeathed a property to him and he came as an attachment. The ancient house elf was however growing on Harry and he knew that the potion was for his own good.

Taking a quick sniff Harry instantly regretted the action and grimaced at the three expectant faces that were watching him. The copious amount of time he had spent in the hospital wing over his school career had taught him the best way to deal with potions was not to know anything about what was in it and to swallow them in one go. He had broken his own cardinal rule and now wishing that he didn't know the ingredients Harry took a mouthful. It was worse than he expected, the taste was somewhere between what he imagined a dogs foot and an old car tire would be like. To make matters worse the consistency was almost chewy.

"Yeah its foul" acknowledged Fournier "But it's gonna keep you alive. Leave elf, I'll make sure he finishes it" Hermione bristled at the somewhat dismissive tone the Auror used but Kreacher simply bowed to the three of them and back out of the room "You finish that Harry and I'll talk ya through your protection detail"

Harry, who was stuck in what he was sure looked like a slow motion chugging contest, tried to nod in response. The motion may not have actually been perceivable to the others but Fournier began explaining the set up to Harry anyway.

His protection detail consisted of Fournier, who was the only Auror, in charge and four DMLE officers – Connor, 'Paddy', Smith and Roberts. They would be working out of a flat that they had acquired in Ottery St. Catchpole. At all times there would be a member present on the grounds at the Burrow. If Harry wished to leave the grounds he had to clear the trip with the officer present or Fournier at least three hours before hand and any trip was subject to Fournier's approval. Outside of the Burrow he would be escorted by three of the detail at various distances and had to carry an emergency portkey wherever he went.

Still struggling to finish the thick gloppy liquid Harry snorted through his nose in disapproval of what he saw as a curtailing of his freedom. He was finally able to do whatever he wanted and not sit at the beck and call of the Dursleys. Harry had been looking forward to being able to be with his friends without having to worry about his responsibilities and now he was going to be subjected to another set of restrictions.

_Devils snare enveloping him, being petrified in the Astronomy Tower, Aragog's children_

"I know this seems like a lot" continued Fournier "and to be honest I didn't think you needed a protection detail either. But it was explained to me that it wasn't just for you Harry. It would be a public relations disaster for an already fragile Ministry if something were to happen to you. More importantly the detail is there to maintain order should another incident like today's happen; people could get hurt trying to get near you Harry. So we're there for the public's protection as much as yours"

Swallowing the last of his potion Harry turned to Hermione. He had no disillusions to his own short comings; he was often a hot head and was sometimes too quick to action rather than thinking things through. This was why Hermione fit perfectly within their trio, she was reluctant to act without thinking things through and at times like this Harry valued her judgement "Do you think this is a good idea?"

Sitting up straight and giving a resigned smile she confirmed her opinion "I do Harry, it's an inconvenience but apart from that everybody wins"

Rolling his eyes in exasperation Harry gave his reluctant approval. Settling the arrangements for tomorrow Fournier left to attend to his duties, his jar of Chizpurfle's still writhing away on the table.

An hour later Ginny joined them bringing Harry's dinner and his next dose of antidote. She appeared to take malevolent glee in forcing him to consume it before producing a copy of the Daily Prophet "You made the front page of the paper again"

_SHOW DOWN IN DIAGON ALLEY_

_Passersby were stunned to witness once again the heroic actions of The Saviour of the Wizarding World as he battle against a group of Death Eaters who launched a surprise attack in Diagon Alley this morning. Coming to the aid of his friends Hermione Granger and Virginia Weasley, Harry Potter – in a blaze of spell fire, single handedly repulsed numerous opponents before being viciously struck down by a cursed dagger._

_Ministry Aurors soon arrived on scene and secured the area. Witnesses saw an unconscious Potter portkeyed to St. Mungo's were sources report that close family and friends are gathering to sit what is believed to be a death bed watch….._

"Accurate as ever" quipped Harry discarding the Prophet

"They've come a long way from what they were calling you in fifth year" noted Hermione as she gathered the paper of his bed

"Still haven't learnt to spell my name right though" grimaced Ginny, she scowled at the others as they snorted at her discomfort, it was well known that she hated her full first name "Shut it you two"

The three teenagers dropped into a comfortable silence and spent the rest of the night reading snippets out of the Prophet and talking quietly. Occasionally Mrs Weasley would stop by to ensure Harry was resting and that the girls weren't disturbing him before returning to be with Fred and George.

The girls were just about to get up to go to bed when Ron trudged into the room. He looked mildly dishevelled and completely exhausted. He explained that he had just returned from running an errand with Charlie and complained that it had involved traipsing all over the United Kingdom. A sign of his weariness was that he barely reacted to the news that there had been an incident at Diagon Alley; he simply asked Hermione and Ginny if they were ok and after receiving assurances that they both fine merely nodded to Harry before collapsing face first on top of his bed.

Once the girls had left and bid them both goodnight Ron raised his head up enough to look over in Harry's direction "Why is there a jar of bugs on the table?"

Harry picked up the jar and regarded the creatures in question. There were ten of the small crab-like creatures crawling around the bottom of the jar. Every so often one would look at Harry and rush at the glass to bare its fangs him "I have to bite one if I get too worked up, there was something on the blade and I'm not allowed to get over excited" he explained

"You really ok? Nothing's going to fall off or anything?"

Knowing that Ron only wanted to know if he should be worried Harry satisfied him saying "Nah it's just a scratch really, you can read the Hollywood version of it in the Prophet"

Ron yawned "Maybe tomorrow" he rolled over to get comfortable "You know what Harry? I think at some point or another you've rescued nearly everyone I care about. Someday I'm going to have to repay that debt"

Taken aback slightly by this Harry failed to respond. He wanted to say something but Harry couldn't quite put it into words. Ron was his best mate, he and his family meant so much to Harry that he couldn't describe it. Not knowing how to articulate this to Ron Harry remained silent and the pause continued until soft snores starting issuing from the sleeping form of his best friend. Ron's comment had been innocent enough and well intended. But mentioning people they cared about brought back the reality that tomorrow, they would be burying more of their dead and so many of the people Harry cared for, were gone. Feeling the weight of their deaths Harry tried to get some sleep.

For the third night in a row Harry's nightmares returned. This time they were worse, instead of warped and distorted memories his imagination had begun twisting his fears. Time and again Harry watched as Ginny, Ron and Hermione were brutally killed, the Weasleys tortured, friends turned into Inferi.

Waking up drenched in sweat Harry struggled to suppress his rapidly thundering heart and uncontrolled breathing. His shoulder began to tingle once again and without thinking he reached for the jar of Chizpurfle's. Harry extracted one as fast as he could and without hesitation shoved it in his mouth and bit down hard. Succumbing once again to the blissful effects Harry relaxed as he watched the psychedelic show that accompanied it.

Coming back to reality Harry spat the parasite back into the jar "sorry little buddy but I needed that" he whispered. The 'little buddy' in question seemed to hiss at him and sprang towards his face. Harry quickly placed the lid back on the jar and placed it on the table. Thinking back over the short experience Harry idly thought he could get used to using those. Straight away his mind reeled at this, these parasites had been repulsive to him this afternoon and yet now he was considering biting into them on a regular basis. Harry understood now why Fournier didn't want the fact that he had given them to Harry advertised. He quickly resolved not to use them again and pushed the jar away from his reach.

Looking out the window at the stars and moon Harry figured he had slept for less than an hour. He knew however that there was no chance of returning to sleep that night; even now when he closed his eyes Harry was greeted with horrific scenes and could feel his anxiety returning. Hearing snores still emitting from the other side of the room Harry was relieved that Ron had been blissfully unaware of his episode. Harry got up quietly and made his way downstairs.

Only a few lamps were still burning when he stepped into the living room. Harry could just make out Mrs Weasley curled up asleep with her husband on one of the couches. George, who was seated on the other couch holding his brothers hand, looked up and motioned for Harry to join him. Sitting down next to George, Harry contemplated the prone form in front of him.

His eyes never left his twin as George started speaking "I remember the day we met you Harry... You were this lost little kid who didn't know anyone, didn't even know how to get on the platform"

It was Harry's first time at Kings Cross station. He smiled at the memory "Yeah I remember. You and Fred were playing mind games with your mother. It was the first time I met any of you guys"

"We were so innocent back then Harry. I think your biggest worry was how to get on the train for school. All me and Fred cared about at that point was what our next big joke was going to be… … I've been sitting here for two days and all I can think is how much I wish I could go back to those days… … but we can't can we?" asked George in despair

Harry watched as tears coursed their way down George's cheeks. Not really knowing what to do in this situation he put his arm around him. Harry considered the entire Weasley clan as his own adopted family and it tore at him for them to be hurting so much.

"How do you do it Harry? Death and destruction have followed you everywhere for as long as I've known you. How did you deal with it?"

George's words struck home. Harry didn't know what to say. It was true every year for the past seven years someone around Harry had either died or come close. Quirrel, Mr Weasley, Ginny, Cedric… … the list went on. For the first time in an age Harry felt himself on the brink of crying. Until this time George hadn't taking his eyes off his twin's body but he turned to Harry now "You haven't have you?"

Slowly shaking his head Harry calmed himself enough to speak "There was so much destruction, I don't think I had time to deal with anything else" His voice cracked slightly as he spoke. Harry may not have had time before but it was all coming back to him now and he had to strenuously suppress everything just to stay in control. Feeling anxiety beginning to inundate him, Harry fought the urge to return to his room and use the Chizpurfles.

"I'm so sorry George… I can't imagine…"

Shuddering sobs raked George's form and Harry pulled him further into his embrace. It was all too much and they both sat there immersed in the pain they felt for those they had lost. Sometime later Harry realised that George's sobs had quieted down. He listened as friend's breath hitched in his sleep. Following the wizarding tradition Harry took over the vigil for Fred's body and spent the rest of the night awake on the couch.


	4. Farewell

Farewell

**Request from the author: We as Fanfic Authors don't get paid for our hard work except by the reviews that you leave. So please read, review and enjoy.**

* * *

Early the next morning Harry was still wide awake, Charlie emerged from Bill's old room and took over Harry's vigil, sending him to take a nap before getting ready. It was just after dawn and Fred's funeral was due to start in a few hours.

Ascending the stairs Harry hesitated, he had heard Ron's voice quietly issuing from the bedroom they shared. In the few seconds he stood there he heard enough to understand that Ron was lamenting to Hermione and feeling that this was better left private, he sat down on the stairs and waited. An hour or so later Hermione left and Harry was able to make his way inside

A set of crisp new ink black mourner's robes had been laid out on his bed and Ron clutched his own gown to his chest. Ron explained that he had been awakened by one of Harry's detail bringing in the new robes and that the DMLE officer - 'Paddy' - had a passing resemblance to Fred in the predawn light. This had been what had set Ron off. He was calm now but still visibly upset so Harry spent the rest of the morning sitting next to Ron in supportive silence of his best friend's anguish.

Eventually the appointed time for Fred's funeral arrived and Harry and Ron dressed in their robes. Ron joined his family in the living room, Bill and Fleur were just arriving with Aunt Muriel. Harry made his way outside and joined Hermione and the other guests who had arrived that morning: Professor McGonagall, Lee Jordan, Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, Connor from his detail and Verity; Fred and George's blond shop assistant from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Harry noticed that Angelina looked particularly upset and was being supported by Katie and Alicia. Angelina and Fred had been an on again, off again couple and she was probably very close to him.

Waiting outside Harry started feeling uncomfortable, his robes felt stiff and were rubbing on his skin, and they just didn't feel right. Needing something to distract him from the reason for them all gathering he gave into temptation and began fidgeting. He knew he was probably imagining this. Going the whole night without sleep and adding in the weight of the occasion had left Harry feeling tired, irritable and gloomy. It was his own fault for not getting any sleep but some things were more important than getting a good night's rest. Deciding that he should probably figure out what was wrong with his robes before the funeral started Harry began trying to subtly adjust them.

"What are you doing?" Hermione whispered from beside him

"My robes feel weird, I think I might have put something on backwards" Harry replied as he continued to adjust himself

Hermione grabbed his sleeve and rubbed the fabric between her fingers before rolling her eyes "Honestly" she sighed as she pulled out her wand and tapped his robes. Instantly the robes felt perfect and settle around him "When you get new robes Harry, remember to remove the starching charm. A simple _finite_ will do"

Harry was prevented from thanking Hermione by the emergence of the Weasley family. Bill and Charlie led the procession and Ron and Percy had stationed themselves just behind them. Fred's body hovered at waist height between the four brothers on the same bedding he had been on earlier. Ginny and George followed close behind the others, Fleur was escorting Aunt Muriel and Mr and Mrs Weasley formed the rear of the procession. The rest of the mourners fell in behind the Weasley's as they passed, making their way slowly past the still obvious signs of damage and vandalism, towards the back of the property.

As he followed behind the finality of the occasion hit Harry. This was the last time he would be seeing Fred in this life time. It wasn't fair, they had come so close. Finally they had defeated Harry's nemesis; the cloud that had hung over all of their lives had been removed. But Fred wasn't here to see it. He and his brother had been a wealth of positive energy during those dark years and Harry always taken comfort from that. Neither of them would be celebrating now, Fred was gone and George appeared to be all but broken.

Moving past the pond and the gnarled trees of the family's orchard they arrived at a slight rise, they laid Fred's body at the base of a huge old oak tree. The rise overlooked a shallow pool that had formed at a bend in the stream that was the rear border of the Weasley's property. Harry had been here a few times seeking solitude and still marvelled at the beauty of it.

The gathering formed a loose semi-circle as Mr and Mrs Weasley moved to stand next to the giant tree. Mrs Weasley seemed inconsolable and was being bodily supported by her husband; Percy stepped forward to help as Mr Weasley began speaking

"How do you prepare for something like this? What do you say?" his voice cracked and tears rolled down his cheeks as he looked disconsolately at his fallen son "I love you Fred, I don't think I said that enough to you… I was so proud of the man you became. You and your brother were never far from my thoughts" a wry smile broke his morose demeanour "unfortunately not always for the right reasons"

A subdued chuckle diffused through the group but it didn't last long. Everyone was feeling it now, a sense of loss hung in the air. Looking around Harry could see Bill and Fleur standing nearest the oak. Bill's scarred face was a stoic mask but his blood shot eyes betrayed his feelings. Next to them stood Charlie with his arm around George. George's normally jovial face was catatonic and he stared unwaveringly at his brother's body. Just beside Harry was Hermione and Ron, they were holding hands and both wept openly. Ron had sometimes scoffed at his older brothers antics but Harry knew that he looked up to them with reverence.

The open displays of emotions were beginning to take their toll on Harry. His breathing started getting shallow as his anxiety rose. Trying to block everything out he closed his eyes but couldn't help the images that now came unbidden through his consciousness.

_An explosion, Fred's body lying prone on the hallway floor, anguished cries as Percy realised Fred was dead_

Often when stressed Harry took comfort from holding onto his wand, the feel of the holly soothed him and gave him a sense of control in any situation. Reaching for his wand now his hand unwittingly found a jar in his robe pocket instead. He recognised it as the jar of Chizpurfles but he didn't remember picking them up or placing them in there. Dismissing this thought his fingers briefly struggled with the jar lid before he was able to grab one. Trying to avoid drawing attention to himself on this sad occasion Harry put all his effort into controlling his breathing and then surreptitiously snuck the parasite into his mouth.

A movement beside him caused him to turn and see Ginny looking at him. He hadn't even realise she had been standing beside him. A voice at the back of his mind worried if she had seen him putting the Chizpurfle in his mouth but his conscious mind ignored this concern as Harry read the pain and suffering in Ginny's eyes. She was looking for support and Harry stretched his hand out and took hold of hers. Whatever emotional barrier she had must have cracked at that point as she pressed her head onto Harry's shoulder and started sobbing unreservedly. It broke his heart to see her like this. Ginny had always been so strong and resilient.

All of this was making Harry's situation worse; as the burning sensation in his shoulder commenced once again his heartbeat raced. He needed to calm down before things got worse and it didn't help that the Chizpurfle was now using its sharp fangs to bite the inside of his mouth. Steeling himself, so that he wouldn't falter, Harry closed his eyes and bit into the wriggling mass in his mouth. The sudden rush of bliss relieved him of his emotional burdens and he had to work hard to remain standing.

Opening his eyes he saw Ginny peering up at him once more. Realising he was probably wearing an inappropriate smile he schooled his features into a grimace and squeezed her hand. Trying to pay attention to Mr Weasley as he continued his eulogy Harry now had the problem of what to do with the parasite in his mouth. It had begun wiggling around and seemed mildly annoyed at having been bitten into. Unfortunately for Harry, Ginny kept giving him furtive glances preventing him from removing the offending bug. After a few minutes of quiet discomfort his problem was inadvertently solved for him, when after a particularly painful nip from the creature in his mouth he accidently swallowed the Chizpurfle. At first he was alarmed but after a few moments without a reaction from his stomach he was able to relax and return his attention to the funeral.

"This is the worst thing I've had to do. A father should never live to bury one of his children but I take solace in the belief that you have gone to a better place. Never again will you feel fear, sorrow or anguish. I know where ever you are that you will be watching after us and that eventually we will meet again in the next life. But in the meantime we will miss you Fred, your mother and I, your brothers, your sister, everyone here, we will miss you so much" at this Mr Weasley descended into uncontrollable sobbing and he turned to his wife. She let go of Percy and they held each other as their grief consumed them.

George came forward and knelt beside his twin "I always imagined we would be together, we would grow old and lay side by side at our funerals. I never thought I'd be here saying goodbye to you" his voiced hitched as he struggled to continue "I don't know how to go on… without you here something's missing… I just… I just… I can't…" Soul wrenching sobs began issuing from the George as he collapsed over his brothers body. Angelina rushed forward and pulled him into a tight embrace.

The scene was heart breaking; unfortunately all the tragedy of the display was lost on Harry. He didn't feel a thing; in fact he couldn't feel anything. Unbeknown to him one of the side-effects of consuming a Chizpurfle was to have all of your emotions suppressed. In a detached way Harry knew the scene was sad but he couldn't feel the actual emotion.

Watching as George took hold of Fred's wand and slammed it into the ground Harry was captivated by the circle of fire that surged out from it and surrounded Fred's body. The circle domed over and the swirling ball of flames turned a brilliant blue before bursting into millions of tiny multicoloured sparks. The sparks crackled like fireworks and engulfed the funeral party. Harry was astounded by the cascade of colour around him and it took a moment for him to notice that the shimmering sparks had settled into a scene depicting Fred standing in a grassy meadow waving goodbye. George, who was closest, reached out to the image of his brother but the scene dissolved in a flash and the sparks soared up into the sky, each of them exploding in a massive booming display that had everyone fixated on the heavens for what seemed like an age.

After the last spark had detonated into a fizzing iridescent purple bloom, the skies cleared and a silence descended on the group, occasionally disturbed by a sniffle. Nobody spoke for over a minute until Ginny piped up "He always said he wanted to go out with a bang"

"Bet the muggles loved that show" commented Ron

Realising the significance of Ron's statement Harry snapped his head round to look over to Connor but he needn't have worried, he was just in time to see the DMLE officer's rabbit Patronus go bounding off with a message for the ministry.

Looking back at the spot where Fred's body had laid minutes before Harry discovered an ornate wooden bench seat had appear at the base of the oak. A plaque attached to the trunk of the tree read:

**Fred Weasley**

**April 1, 1978 - May 2, 1998**

_**I aimed to bring laughter and happiness to this world**_

_**And this is what I choose to leave with you**_

_**Have fun my friends, my family, my brother**_

_**I love you all**_

As they read the plaque Hermione turned to Ron "Do you feel it?"

He nodded back "A cheering charm or something... coming from the seat"

After a brief period of silence Mr and Mrs Weasley left the memorial site with Aunt Muriel and returned to the house, she could be heard muttering about 'Fireworks' and 'Proper Decorum' as she left. McGonagall, Lee, Katie and Verity soon passed on their condolences and departed. Eventually the younger Weasley's and their friend's turned back as well. As they walked slowly back Ginny again broke the silence "I always loved that place"

"Yeah especially in winter, we could walk out over the ice" said Charlie

Ron smiled obviously thinking back on happier times "Remember that massive snowball fight?"

"The one where you broke the ice and then fell through?" asked Ginny her mocking tone indicated she knew exactly which one he was referring to

"I didn't break anything, if George hadn't jumped off his broom…. George?" Ron was looking around for his brother but he was nowhere to be seen.

Harry quickly figured out that Angelina was missing too. He pointed this out to the others but none of them could recall seeing either of them since the fireworks display. Deciding that Angelina had either left with others or paired up with George to grieve together everyone returned to the Burrow.

They were due to leave for the Order's memorial service in an hour's time. Charlie took Aunt Muriel home as the rest of the Weasley's reminisced about Fred and George's antics growing up. It was a brief period of happiness as the family recounted the twins daring plans and outrageous pranks. Harry however was missing out on all of this, he was sitting and listening but he could take no joy from the anecdotes because inside he was numb. Unable to feel any emotions he sat on the outside, withdrawn, he wasn't prepared to fake laughter or sadness at the moment so he sat on one of the seats listening to everyone exchange stories. The protection the Chizpurfles offered certainly wasn't worth it and Harry resolved not to take them with him to any of the other funerals no matter what the consequences.

* * *

George still hadn't returned by the time Charlie arrived back and announced they were due to leave. Harry remembered at the last moment to place the jar of Chizpurfles on Ron's dresser before the family had to apparate to the memorial service. They all arrived, minus George, in a small botanical garden in Northern Manchester. Hermione pointed out that scattered throughout the flower beds were small shinning plaques with the names of the fallen etched on them. Harry counted, not including the Weasley's, that there was perhaps twenty other people attending. Some of them Harry recognised and most of the rest gave him a nod when he looked in their direction. The service its self was a quiet affair with friends of each of the departed saying a few words about the person. Kingsley himself spoke on behalf of Mad-eye Moody and as he did Ron came forward and buried a small box beneath the plaque that bore the retired Auror's name.

It turned out that the errand Ron and Charlie had spent all of yesterday completing was the tracking down of the burial place of Moody's magical eye. After hours of searching and apparating throughout the United Kingdom they had finally found it and placed it in the box that Ron had just buried. Hermione had engulfed Ron in a fierce hug when he explained his actions "He deserved better than that, buried in some unmarked grave, unknown to the world. He was a good man, we don't know what happened to his body so I thought this was the least we could do"

Releasing him Hermione squeezed his arm in appreciation but couldn't resist adding "You realise if you had just asked me about it I could have told you that it was buried in the forest where the world cup was held, Harry could even have told you which tree"

Even Harry was touched by the effort Ron had gone to and he decided that the effect of the Chizpurfle must finally be wearing off. He wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not. It felt like he was cheating by not feeling everything he was supposed to, opposed to this was the prospect of having to endure two more funerals that day. But it would be cowardly and disrespectful not attend those services like everyone else so Harry resolved not to use anymore of the parasites unless he was truly desperate.

The last to speak was McGonagall on Snape's behalf. She tried to explain his behaviour and commitment but Snape had played his game so well that few of the surviving Order members seemed willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

As the memorial came to a close Harry began slowly searching amongst the plaques. It was a short time before he found the one he was looking for beneath a row of yellow Tulips.

**Lily and James Potter**

**October 31st 1981 – Godric's Hollow**

Now that he had found the plaque he didn't know what to do. He stood there looking at the small sign, it suddenly occurred to Harry that this was one of the few items left in the world that showed his parents even existed. He felt a hand on his arm and turned to see Ginny looking down at the memorial. Before he could say anything she knelt down and wiped some of the tarnish off, then looked back up at him "It's time to go Harry"

With a nod he followed her back to the rest of the family and joined them on the Portkey to Kensal Green Cemetery. They arrived in a lightly wooded area, on the edge of the main grounds consisting of large plots of carefully manicured grass, dotted with ancient headstones that stretched, row after row, into the distance. The grounds themselves were quiet and peaceful, giving Harry a comforting sense of tranquillity.

Mr Weasley began leading them towards a section of the cemetery that appeared older than the rest. Percy meanwhile was giving Hermione background information on the graveyard "Kensal Green was set up as the state wizarding cemetery in 1833, every Minister of Magic since then is buried here and all state funerals are held inside its grounds. It's quite a privilege to have your funeral here, let alone be buried on the grounds"

Eventually they arrived at a large overgrown marble mausoleum. Harry could feel the notice-me-not and muggle repelling charms as they approached and if it wasn't for the solemnness of the occasion he would have loved to investigate the sensations further. Mr Weasley pushed open the weathered mausoleum doors and the group filed inside. Emerging out the other side Harry was greeted by a kaleidoscope of weird and wonderful sights, apparently wizards were very exuberant in decorating their grave markers.

Walking through the magical cemetery Harry's attention was drawn to a simple unadorned stone. It looked out of place resting against a plinth on top of which two animated stone dragons appeared to be fighting each other for pride of place. Shifting it with his foot he noticed writing on the side of the stone and stopped to inspect it. The inscription was hastily blasted into the small boulder of granite and it took a bit of work for Harry to decipher. He was shocked to discover it was a memorial for Rufus Scrimgeour:

**R. Scrimgeour - M.o.M 4/6/96 – Died 1/8/97 - Brave**

It had evidently been done on the fly but Harry was glad someone had thought to at least give the man some kind of tribute. He hadn't been Harry's favourite person in the world but he wasn't a bad man. The unknown author of the epitaph was right though; Scrimgeour had died while enduring torture without revealing Harry's whereabouts, if he was anything he was brave.

Distracted by the headstone Harry was startled when he looked up to see a woman examining him. She was standing at a respectful distance, appeared to be in her late forties/early fifties and carrying a baby. Her dark hair was streaked with ribbons of grey and swayed slightly as she rocked the infant. Catching her vivid blue eyes Harry thought they looked much more tired than the last time he had seen them. She still bore a close resemblance to her sister Bellatrix and Harry sensed both Hermione and Ron recoiling from her "Mrs Tonks?"

Giving a reluctant smile she nodded and came closer "Please call me Andromeda, it's good to see you again Harry"

At a loss as to what to say Harry stood rooted to the spot, staring. It took a monumental effort for Harry to force his mind into action and speak again "I'm so sorry… Ted and Tonks… I can't imagine…"

Pulling him into a one armed hug Andromeda cut him off "Shhhh, there was nothing you could do Harry. They all aware of what they were getting in to; Ted knew what would happen if he was caught, Nymphadora was a fully trained Auror and Remus a very experience operator within the Order…" she sniffed a little as she put a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder "We can say goodbye to them in a minute but now I think it's time for you to meet your god son, Harry Potter meet Teddy Lupin" pulling away she presented him with a tiny bundle.

Harry took the small one month old in his arms. He was sleeping peacefully as Harry examined him; he had bright red pudgy cheeks and his head was covered in a smattering of miniscule black hairs. Holding the child in his arms he was almost over awed as he concluded that this infant was the combined legacy of two of his close friends. Teddy stirred a little and began whinging, not knowing what to do Harry looked up to Andromeda for advice but found she had moved over to Mrs Weasley and the pair was engaged in an emotional embrace. His rescue came from Ginny approaching and stroking the infant's cheek, soothing him. Hermione and Ron joined them and Harry introduced the baby to his new aunts and uncle.

Eventually Andromeda reclaimed her grandson, she was still talking with Mrs Weasley "The Ministry offered but we won't be burying them here. I want them closer to home and there's some plot space near Ted" Andromeda broke down at the mention of her dead husband and Mr Weasley gestured for Charlie to give her some assistance. She nodded her appreciation to the Weasley family and with the help of her escort walked over to the seating area for the funeral.

Owing to it being a state funeral there were over two hundred witches and wizards present. Most were from the Ministry but Harry recognised a large contingent of the Order were here too. The most obvious of all the people attending were the twelve Aurors, including Fournier, in full dress regalia who were lining the central isle. Their dark blue robes were trimmed with sparkling gold and one of them, who Harry assumed was the senior wizard present, was wearing crimson robes decorated with three strands of gold and silver braid on his left shoulder. Despite the bleakness of the situation Harry couldn't help imagining himself in the uniform.

The Weasleys sat themselves in the second row of seats and Harry found himself between Hermione and Ginny. It was now that they were seated that Harry could see Tonks and Lupin, his mind reeled recalling seeing them laid out on the floor of the Great Hall. He couldn't help staring at Tonk's body, she too was dressed in the Auror's formal robes be it was her face that, after realising he was seeing the Metamorph's true form for the first time, he couldn't tear his gaze away from.

Her features were still the same heart shape but there were subtle changes. A glaringly obvious difference however was her hair; 'living' Tonk's kept hers short, spiky and vibrantly coloured, often bubblegum pink, now she had long straight dark brown hair with slight curls as it reached her shoulders. She was undeniably beautiful but she wasn't Tonk's, she wasn't the bright bubbly Auror Harry had known and he wondered sadly if she had ever let her husband see her like this.

Remus was laid next her, the former defence teacher's tired sickly appearance replaced with one of relaxed serenity. He looked so calm and peaceful, seeing the change in him brought home how much the werewolf had struggled with life. Someone had dressed him in a set of exquisite robes which looked far too expensive for him to have ever owned. Harry was unsure if this was appropriate or not but he knew that Remus would get some sort of grim satisfaction in receiving a state funeral from a government that had despised his existence; he was a Marauder after all.

An Auror, such as Tonks, who dies in the line of duty, is automatically accorded the honour and they could hardly ignore the fact that her husband had died fighting with her. From the brief snatches of conversation Harry had heard over the past couple of days the pair had died side by side, battling Bellatrix and Dolohov. They said that Remus held his own against Dolohov only falling when his wife was no longer able to protect his back from Bellatrix, after which he'd been overwhelmed before help could arrive.

Harry desperately held in the desperate sob that threatened to escape as he imagined the scene. He gripped the chair in front, focused on the ground at his feet as he began breathing heavily. Teddy would grow up without knowing who they truly were. Of all the things, Harry hated that the most. He knew what it was like to grow up without parents, that hollow feeling that something is always missing and he realised that it would be his responsibility to make sure that Teddy knew as much about his parents as possible.

_The woods outside the Quidditch World Cup, The ambush leaving Privet Drive, Escaping the Ministry_

Taking deep breaths and concentrating on his occlumency exercises Harry tried to calm himself. It frustrated him that a simple injury, such as his, was causing him so much trouble, he was having to pay more attention to his heart rate and breathing properly than to saying goodbye to his loved ones. Finally achieving a semblance of control Harry looked up to see Hermione fully embraced in Ron's arms, tears tracked down her face as Ron tried to soothe her. On his other side he could see Ginny staring stoically forward, her eyes were bloodshot and she was turning red with the effort to stay strong.

Not realising what he was doing Harry reached over and took hold of Ginny's hand. She looked up at him, her deep brown eyes searching his own. An unspoken agreement passed between them as they decided just to be there for each other, they could sort the relationship stuff out later. She leaned against Harry for support but with the injury to his shoulder he found this situation uncomfortable. Instead he released her hand and placed his arm across her back while she rested her head on his chest. It wasn't much better than the original position as far as his shoulder was concerned, but the feeling of having Ginny in his arms and pressed up against him more than made up for any discomfort.

A lean elderly gentleman strode up to a small lectern that had been placed near to Remus and Tonks. His steel grey hair was highlighted by a solid triangle of black just above both ears and he stood tall as he began to read from his notes. He spoke of an Auror's lifelong commitment to their job, the pressures it places on them both personally and professionally and how it takes a special kind of wizard or witch to withstand this. Harry started to feel exasperated as the man continued speaking; it felt like a generic speech, he was extolling the virtues of an Auror but only occasionally did he mention Tonks and not once had he even acknowledged her husband.

Harry appeared to be not the only one who had noticed this; most of the Weasley's were grimacing in resentment. The speaker concluded his eulogy he thanked his audience for their attendance and turned away but before anyone stood Andromeda had taken the lectern.

"Excuse me, I just have a few things to say" she was carrying Teddy and looking over at her daughter and son-in-law "While this fellow from the Ministry had a lot of nice things to say about the Aurors, I think there are a few things left to be said... Nymphadora was the bubbliest kid you ever met; she was bright, funny, laughed at everything and at times a real rogue. I think she had to be, growing up with her ability was difficult. Until she got older she had real trouble controlling it and often had to endure less than polite comments from her classmates. Even when she was old enough to manage her condition she was still rather uncoordinated" Andromeda was smiling at the memory even though tears fell freely "I think in older life some of these traits may have been held against her. People who didn't know her struggled to take her seriously, especially as she never took anything too seriously" This comment elicited a number of sniggers.

Memories of the joyful carefree metamorph made a ball start to tighten in Harry's chest.

"Though we all knew her as happy-go-lucky I knew she struggled a lot, but one day that all changed. He-who-should-not-be-named was nearing the peak of his power... the Aurors were being over worked... friends were getting hurt, going missing and dying. Then one day she came over to see me for lunch... just out of the blue... grinning from ear to ear. Nymphadora had turned up to tell me about this wonderful man she had just gone out on a date with. I can't tell you how much getting to know Remus Lupin meant to her. Here was a man who finally understood her for who she really was, he accepted her personality and didn't try to take advantage of her ability. I think he may have been the only person of this earth that truly got to know my daughter. He accepted her situation just as she accepted his"

By now the majority of the Weasleys were in tears. Harry could hear Hermione's sobs to his left but he knew Ron was there for her. Instead he was comforting Ginny whose face was buried deep within his robes and was gripping his body tightly as grief racked her body. For the first time that day Harry couldn't hold back his own tears, his sleeve was soon soaked through from wiping them away.

"At first I'll admit I wasn't as accepting as I could have been, but as my husband and I came to know Remus and see the effect he had on our daughter, we came to accept him as a son. He was brave, intelligent and caring. Remus gave Nymphadora the happiest days of her life; like the day he married her in our garden and when she gave birth... ... to my wonderful grandson" Andromeda was beginning to struggle, her voice faltering as she choked up. Teddy chose this moment to start crying and she took a few moments calming him while she regained her composure "... when the call came for... ... for people to join in the defence of Hogwarts neither hesitated, both Remus and Nymphadora wanted to go immediately. Remus didn't want her to go but soon after he left she went too, she couldn't stand the thought of him fighting alone. I do not fault either of them in this decision; they both felt they had a duty... ..." she wept openly. Teddy must have sensed her distress because his crying doubled in volume. Andromeda bounced the infant a little then looked to the sky as she continued "Please know that we loved you both... and that Teddy will grow up strong and cared for... ... I'll try to teach him to have ideals that you both possessed... Goodbye my Nymphadora, take care of her Remus"

Andromeda gave in to her grief; Harry could understand, in a few short months she had lost her husband, daughter and son-in-law. He was on the edge as well and was desperately trying not to fall into a well of despair. Charlie leapt up to give the woman support as the service concluded. The Aurors present formed a guard of honour as Tonks and Lupin were levitated. Pointing their wands skyward each Auror was joined to his partner opposite by a white band of light. Small sparkles of gold, red and blue cascaded around them as Charlie and Andromeda walked with Tonks through the archway tunnel the Aurors had created.

As soon as Tonks had proceeded past the honour guard the archway was cancelled before Remus had a chance to be moved through. Outrage spread through the Order members present. Harry couldn't believe it. He knew that the reason that the ceremony had been so elaborate was just because of Tonks's position as an Auror but he couldn't understand why they would show such blatant disrespect to her husband. It dawned on Harry in a moment of anger filled clarity – Remus was a werewolf. The institutional bigotry that permeated the Ministry had reared its ugly head once more.

Pushing away from Ginny, Harry rushed over to the isle. Fournier was the only Auror still in place and was looking in confusion towards his fellow Aurors who were filing off after their senior officer. He looked back at Harry, his look of perplexion cleared as he recognised what they had done. Harry took up a position opposite Fournier and looked to him for guidance. The Auror seemingly understand his intentions raised his wand above his head "_Iungo veneratio diligo"_

Copying his movements Harry repeated the incantation and his wand was soon joined to Fournier's by a thin white band. The setting and effect reminded Harry of what happened nearly three years ago

_Pinned to a headstone, Wormtail slicing his arm, surrounded by death eaters, his wand battling with Voldemort's_

As quickly as the memory surfaced it receded and Harry was able to look at the others who had joined him. Ginny, Ron, Hermione, McGonagall, Mr Weasley and Elphias Doge were all contributing to the archway along with other members of the Order. Looking even more distraught at the disrespect shown to her family Andromeda returned to escort Remus through the archway. She stopped to nod her acknowledgement to everyone who re-established the honour guard. When Remus was through she positioned him next to his wife before Charlie activated a portkey Andromeda had handed him and the four of them disappeared in a flash of blue light.

As the light faded Fournier brought the archway down, Harry could see the Auror looking at him in concern. If he didn't act now his friends would talk him out of it so he took off, leaving the others in his wake. He was determined to give the Auror in charge of that detail a piece of his mind. Reaching the mausoleum entrance to the cemetery Harry was surprised to find he had already been beaten to the punch by a tall blonde witch.

Narcissa Malfoy was standing over the senior Auror who was sprawled on the grass before her, Harry hadn't even realised she had been present at the funeral, she brandished her wand at the wizards face "You dare insult my family?" she asked kneeling down and pushing her wand viciously into the man's chest, a sizzling sound and the smell of burnt flesh accompanied the gesture "Consider yourself warned Vargus" with that she straightened and glanced around at those witnessing the incident. Everyone present was left with no doubt that there would be severe consequences for anyone else repeating this insult. Catching Harry's eye she nodded curtly before turning a marching through the mausoleum her robes billowing out behind her.

Kingsley moved over to Vargus who still lay on the ground looking at the angry looking blister bubbling up from where Narcissa's wand had been pressed. The Minister gripped the wizard's aiguillette and tore the lengths of silver and gold braid from his shoulder "You don't deserve this" he raged. Looking to the rest of the Ministry personal present he continued "I've never been so embarrassed in my life, that was a disgrace and if any of you think this is the last you've heard of this you all have another thing coming" with an angry 'crack' he apparated away followed by the more subdued 'pops' of his employees.

When his friends found him Harry was still standing on the same spot. He was trying to clear his head of everything that had happened, his heart rate was racing again and he could feel a burning sensation in his shoulder that he presumed was worse than mere tingling. Hermione was the first to speak "Merlin Harry... you didn't do anything did you?"

"I didn't get a chance Narcissa got there first"

"Narcissa? Narcissa Malfoy? What was she doing here?" asked Ron in confusion

Hermione huffed before answering "It's obvious isn't it Narcissa and Andromeda are sisters..." by the look on Ron's face this explanation was obviously insufficient so she continued "while they are both married Andromeda as the oldest is the matriarch of the House of Black. So an insult to her or her daughter is an insult to Narcissa"

"I don't get it, Narcissa hated Tonks's family"

With a roll of her eyes Hermione continued "No I imagine she despised Ted and Lupin for what they were in her opinion, but not her sister. Plus it's like if you say something about Bill that's ok but if me or Harry said something about him you would feel insulted"

Comprehension dawned on Ron "Oh right I get it... So Narcissa was here?" he asked obviously fishing for more details

Harry explained what had happened with Narcissa, Kingsley and Vargus, as he went on his shoulder began bothering him more and more. He desperately wanted to get home and enjoy the respite of a Chizpurfle but he was determined to hold himself in check and resisted the urge. Fournier cut in at the end of his story and ushered the Weasley family through the exit back to their original portkey. Bill and Fleur apparated back to Shell Cottage while Fournier held the broken flower pot up for everyone else to gather around. With a tap of Fournier's wand the pot glowed the traditional blue and once again Harry felt the familiar tug from behind his navel as he was propelled to the Burrow.

Reaching the arrival point at the edge of the Burrow's wards Harry went sprawling. While the rest of the Weasleys sniggered at what they had come to accept as Harry's shaky ability to use magical transport, Fournier rushed over to him "Are you alright Harry?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. It happens all the time" grouched Harry as he dusted himself off. He didn't want to reveal that a stab of pain from his shoulder had distracted him on landing

"Well be that as it may I think you've had enough for today. Your body can't handle too much stress"

Harry could feel his temper rising "What are you saying? Are you trying to tell me I can't go to Colin's funeral? If you think you are I've got news for you!" He was sick and tired of people telling him what he could and couldn't do. His entire life had been controlled by others and he wasn't going to stand for it any longer, he had earned his freedom. Squaring off towards each other Harry looked the Auror in the eye, he could see Connor approaching from the house but even outnumbered he wasn't about to back down.

Mrs Weasley intervened before anything could happen "Come now enough of this" pushing between Harry and Fournier she cut them off from each other "Mr Fournier here is saying nothing of the sort are you?" he looked as if he was about to contradict her when Mrs Weasley turned back to Harry "We're all just looking out for you Harry, I think he meant you should take a lie down before this afternoon that's all" She smiled pleasantly at Harry but her eyes told him she would brook no arguments "Good now, here's your next dose" summoning him another flask of the dreadful Mandrake leaf potion "Ronald take Harry up to your room while Hermione and Ginny prepare some lunch"

"Yes mum" Looking rather enthusiastic to get inside Ron grabbed Harry by the arm and propelled him towards the Burrow "Come on mate she about to unload on that bloke and you don't want to be within range" a quick glance across his shoulder showed Ginny and Hermione hurrying after them and Mrs Weasley assuming Harry's place opposite Fournier. Percy and Mr Weasley were discretely moving themselves to a position behind her and out of the direct line of fire.

Entering into Ron's room Harry quickly spied the jar of Chizpurfles sitting on the dresser. Relief swelled up within him and he rushed forward to grab the container. Harry almost had the vessel opened before he realised what he was doing and disgust at his weak will over took his sense of relief. In a fit of rage Harry swung round and launched the jar into the air, it narrowly missed his startled best mate before smashing against the wall and showering the room in fragments.

"What in the name of Merlin's saggy left one was that for Harry!"

"Sorry Ron... I guess things really are getting to me..." he watched as Ron used '_Reparo_' to fix the jar before starting to track down the parasites that seemed to have spread throughout his bed "Let me help" said Harry coming to his aid. He pulled off a particularly large one that was beginning to chew on one of Ron's Cannon's posters and deposited in the jar "Sorry about that"

"Don't worry about it mate, never thought today was gonna be easy. I'm just surprised people haven't had a go at each other earlier" Holding up the container to inspect the contents Ron asked "How many of these blighters are supposed to be in here?"

"Nine or ten I think" replied Harry remembering why he was avoiding them. There had been ten to begin with, but he doubted the tenth one was alive any longer

"Better hope it was nine" he said handing the jar to Harry "I'd hate for mum to find one of those things crawling around the house... I should go back downstairs, she'll be on the war path otherwise, especially if George doesn't come back soon" Ron patted Harry on the shoulder before leaving the room.

Harry crossed the room and placed the jar back on the dresser before lying down on his bed. He knew he wasn't going to sleep but a few hours by himself might relax him a bit.

* * *

When he emerged from his room Harry felt anything relaxed. At first nothing had happened as he lay in bed but catching the movement of Ron's picture of his family in Egypt had started memories swirling around his head. As the images had turned darker Harry found himself unable to push them away and endured a waking nightmare. He persevered through nearly an hour of these before once again almost succumbing to using one of the Chizpurfles. From that point on he found his anxiety levels rising as he struggled not to think about the crawling critters just out of arms reach. After three hours of fighting himself and trying to calm down Harry gave up trying to relax and made his way downstairs.

Both Charlie and George had returned while he was upstairs. Charlie had escorted Andromeda to a graveyard near her home where she had buried Tonks and Remus side by side, after seeing her and Teddy home safely he had returned home. It turned out that George had gone off with Angelina apparently to drown their collective sorrows, it turned out he had gotten so drunk that he had awoken in her empty apartment having passed out from excess alcohol consumption. How he had managed to floo to the Burrow in his condition was anyone's guess but he had emerged from the fireplace and then proceeded to vomit profusely though out the kitchen.

Mr and Mrs Weasley were attending to him now and his incoherent lament could be heard issuing from the bathroom on the third floor. Harry entered the kitchen just as Ginny finished cleaning the last of George's mess "Urgh that was gross! I swear, by Morgana's ghost, when I get my hands on that boy I'm gonna make him pay for making me have to do this" fumed the fiery red head.

"I was always told better out than in" offered Harry

With hands on hips Ginny blew some strands of hair out of her face before retorting "Yeah well next time I feel the need to throw up you're the guy I'm gonna call"

Harry couldn't resist the urge to smile, he would like nothing more than to be the guy she calls on to take care of her. He did manage to overcome the desire to voice this opinion and was saved from having to find something to say to cover by the arrival of Ron and Hermione.

"And just where have you been Ron? I had to clean that whole mess up myself by hand!" demanded Ginny

"Yeah puke and I don't really go well together. Thought it was best to stay away rather than add to it"

Looking to change the topic away from gastronomical pyrotechnics Harry asked when they we leaving for Colin's funeral

"Soon" replied Hermione "We were just on our way in to wake you... ..." she looked at Ron as if prompting him to say something as well, but he either failed to notice or deliberately ignored her so she was forced to continue "... Harry are you sure you want to go to this?"

"YES!" Harry realised he had shouted his reply and softened his second go "Yes" his anxiety over resisting using the Chizpurfles had apparently given him a short fuse. He noticed the significant glances that were being shared around the room "Look it's been a hard day, but Colin was a friend of mine. I want to go, he deserves to have as many of his friends there as possible" There were other funerals that Harry felt he should have attended but timing constraints prevented him from going. He was not about to skip this one just because he was a little under the weather.

Charlie came in a short while later and informed the four teenagers that he would be taking them to Colin's funeral. Mr and Mrs Weasley were staying behind to deal with George and Percy was returning to work. They had to change out of their mourner's robes and into muggle attire because the Creevey brothers were muggle-born and as such their extended family and some of their friends were unaware of their magical abilities. This had been taken to the extent that 'officially' Colin's death was a terrible accident.

Harry and Hermione had few personal possessions with them and nothing appropriate for a muggle funeral so the Ministry had provided for their needs. They outfitted them both with charcoal coloured cashmere suits. The two of them felt slightly out of place next to Ron and Ginny who were dressed in their best shirt and jeans "Don't worry about it mate" tempered Ron when Harry mentioned his discomfort "Don't ya reckon 'Mione looks a bit of alright in that get up" continued the red head, Harry jestingly shoved his best mate in response.

Colin's funeral was being held in a small church in Bromley. To avoid coming to the attention of muggles Harry and his friends had to portkey to a small park down the road. A slight drizzle descended as they approached the church, Harry couldn't help but think it matched the mood of the day perfectly. When they got closer they met with other Hogwarts students who were attending, the majority were Gryffindors but there were a few from other houses including Luna who, to no one's surprise, was wearing a vibrant red sun dress and bonnet. Fournier and Connor both eyed the oddity with suspicion until Ginny ran up and hugged her "Hey Luna, nice dress"

"Thank you, the Quondam Morsus dislike anything red, they're colour blind so it confuses them and I thought I should be prepared seeing as you'll always find them trying to infect the tear ducts of the grieving" Everyone was so used to Luna's take on the world that they all took this statement in stride.

Arriving at the church and were greeted by Dennis who introduced them to his dad. The atmosphere over the past few minutes had almost been light hearted but as Harry's friends greeted the Creevey brothers grief-stricken father he felt the weight of the world crash around his shoulders. Here, thought Harry, was a man who hadn't done anything wrong; from what he knew Mr Creevey had worked hard and brought his sons up to be nice, polite and inquisitive boys and then sent them off to school and it cost him his eldest. The despairing Mr Creevey reminded Harry of Mr Weasley's words from this morning 'A father should never live to bury one of his children'

_A girl dying in Ginny's arms, Fangs sinking into Arthur, "I must not tell lies"_

Anger bubbled within him, everything was so wrong. The war was finally over but there was still so much pain in the world. Harry wished it would all just go away, now more than ever he wanted to escape all the misery and his thoughts returned to the jar on the dresser. He was so distracted he barely registered his own name as he was introduced "Harry, this is my father" said Dennis "Dad, Harry Potter"

Mr Creevey was similar in stature to Harry's uncle but the majority of his bulk was comprised of muscle as opposed to that of Vernon's. The similarities to his uncle ended there as the disconsolate tear filled expression of the man if front of him would never be seen on Vernon's face "Mr Creevey I am so sorry... we all thought very highly of your son... I feel like this is my fault... I'm so sorry... ..." at a loss for what to say next Harry trailed off

"Young man, this isn't your fault, it isn't anyone's fault. I wish I could change what has happened, more than anybody I wish I could, but somehow I don't think my son would see it the same way." Colin's father straightened and looked Harry in the eye, steel resolve blazed from behind his tears "He was honoured to know you Harry Potter. He had scrapbooks and albums at home devoted to you and your friends. I'm sure he wouldn't change a thing, he died fighting for something he believed in and I'm proud of the man he became before he died"

Later Harry wasn't sure what exactly had set him off; all he remembered was that all of a sudden he was shouting "HE DIDN'T DIE FOR SOMETHING HE BELIEVED IN! HE DIED BECAUSE SOME BASTARD THOUGHT HIS IDEALS WERE MORE IMPORTANT THAN OTHER PEOPLES LIVES!" he could hear people shouting his name, feel hands grabbing his clothing and see the man before him crumbling under his verbal assault but still he didn't stop "OF COARSE IT'S MY FAULT! ITS MINE AND VOLDEMORT'S! IF WE HADN'T BROUGHT THE FIGHT TO THE SCHOOL COLIN WOULD STILL BE ALIVE! NONE OF YOU UNDERSTAND YOU STUPID FOOLS! SO MANY PEOPLE DIED AND FOR WHAT? NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING" running out of breath Harry realised he had lost control. His heart thundered like a raging Hippogriff and an intense pain burned in his shoulder. Needing to escape the horrific scene he had created Harry struggled free of his friends grasps then turned on the spot and apparated away.

Feeling as though he had been squeezed through a straw Harry arrived outside the Burrow with a 'pop'. He almost immediately spotted a short, stocky red head. For a split second he thought perhaps Charlie had somehow beaten him back to the Burrow but quickly realised he was looking at Paddy O'Keeffe one of his Ministry minders. He only had a short time before the others came looking for him, he sprinted past a baffled Paddy and inside the house and up to the room he shared with Ron. Grabbing the object he desired he turned and started back outside, he could see Paddy and Mr Weasley gathered close together, the white glow reflecting from them told Harry they were listening to a Patronus message.

It was now or never, he dashed for the edge of the anti-apparation wards, he ignored the startled cries of the two men as he passed them. Feeling himself crossing the boundary Harry quickly apparated away, a streak of red light narrowly missing him in the process.

* * *

Several hours later and Harry was sheltering beneath an awning on a street in muggle London. The heavens had opened up and it was pouring with rain. Over the past six hours he had used every single one of his remaining Chizpurfles but he still couldn't find the refuge he was seeking. Then he had resorted to drinking, after confounding a barman into letting him buy alcohol, he proceeded to get completely trashed. Eventually this led him to being thrown out of the bar and left him wandering the streets. A passerby stopped in front of where Harry was standing "You alright there love?" she asked. For a moment in his alcohol induce fog, Harry almost mistook the stranger for his mother and he remained mute, struck dumb by the thought.

The auburn haired woman in question shrugged at his lack of response "You should go home love, out of this rain" she said before continuing on her journey.

It took awhile for the woman's words to sink in and after a moments consideration he set off in search of somewhere to sleep it all off. He had been walking for twenty minutes before inspiration struck, Harry remembered he owned a place right here in London, so with the assistance of a _point me_ spell he traipsed off in search of Grimmauld Place.

Arriving nearly an hour later he was soaked through. The slurring of his words had prevented Harry from being able make his suit jacket impervious, several large holes had resulted from his attempts but he sobered up quickly when he saw a small red headed girl sitting on the top step of his god father's former home, an umbrella magically hovering above her head. She looked up as Harry approached "I figured you'd turn up here eventually"

"Hey Gin" was all Harry could manage. He stood before her on the bottom step, swaying slightly, oblivious to the torrential rain falling around him.

Ginny didn't acknowledge his greeting "Everyone's looking for you. They've got people staking out Godric's Hollow, Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade but I figured you wanted to get away from everything magical. You were unlikely to go back to the Burrow anytime soon and I knew you wouldn't go to Privet Drive; there are no happy memories for you there. Only place left that I could think of that you'd feel safe enough to sleep in on your own was here"

"Does anybody else know that I'm here" he asked watching various pieces of detritus twirl their way down the gutter. He should have said something else, apologised but his much vaunted Gryffindor courage failed him.

"Do you care?" she asked with venom "No Harry no one knows you're here yet. They know I am but I haven't told anyone else you've arrived. I'm not about to force you to come home, you either want to or you don't. Everyone you call family is there, waiting and worried, but it's up to you to decide" with that she stood up and activated a portkey attached to a chain around her neck and disappeared.

Harry was left stunned by her outburst. He knew she was right, he needed to go home and face what he had wrought but he was ashamed and it took a few moments to convince himself that it was the right thing to do. Despite feeling more sober he was still too drunk to consider apparating so Harry had to call for his house elf

"Yes Master, you have called for Kreacher sir"

"Home Kreacher" begged Harry

"But Master Harry Potter sir, we is already home" stated his confused servant

Harry smiled at the small creature in front of him "To the Burrow"

His entrance to the Burrow's kitchen was only slightly less spectacular than George's from earlier. Harry only puked the once after being apparated in by Kreacher. The difference was that when George arrived the room had been empty, when Harry appeared, Ron had been sitting at the table and Harry proceeded to puke into his lap. An already disgruntled Ron was less than impressed by this and Harry could only half participate in the shouting match which then ensued. He was soon rescued by Mr Weasley and sent to up to bed but over the next few days it was clear that everyone had a bone to pick with Harry's behaviour, the numerous Howler's he received from the parents of Colin's friends only served to reinforce this impression.

Harry was reconsidering his choice to return; Ron, Ginny and Hermione all refused to talk to him and would leave any room he entered into. Fournier would only stay in the same room because Kingsley had ordered him to stay within ten metres of Harry at all times. Bill and Fleur had returned to Shell Cottage, Percy back to his apartment and Charlie was still staying at the Burrow but Harry was under no illusions that he wasn't angry with him over his disappearing act. Mr Weasley was working long hours at the Ministry and Mrs Weasley was dealing with her grief by burying herself in housework. George, who was in a similar boat to Harry, was the only one willing to spend time with him.

Meals were a nightmare. Charlie and Mr & Mrs Weasley would force polite conversation to pass the time. Ron, Ginny and Hermione were all forced to stay sitting at the table. They wouldn't touch their food and just sat there pushing it around. Mrs Weasley wouldn't let Harry leave until he had finished his plate; but he really wasn't interested in eating and had to force himself to consume the food without even tasting it. As soon as he was finished Harry would excuse himself and depart, it would break his heart to hear the conversation start as soon as he was through the door.

Things got so bad he started spending all of his time outside with Charlie fixing the mess the Death Eaters had left in gardens just to avoid watching the others leave the room he was in. Before dawn he would sneak out to walk the grounds, he found the cool night air comforting and the sun rising on the horizon almost offered the hope of a new day. By the time each morose breakfast was finished however, that hope was dashed.

To cope with all of this Harry was using the Chizpurfle's on a regular schedule, working out that using one every forty five minutes was slow enough that by the time he'd bitten into the ninth one the first was ready again. If he was late in biting into one his anxiety levels shot through the roof, so he would count down every minute until his next hit. He had taken to wearing robes around the house to conceal the fact he was carrying the jar around in his pocket. Those few seconds, after biting into the parasites, were the highlight of his day and at times he had to sit near the cheering charm on Fred's seat in order to survive the intervening period.

At night he would go to bed well before Ron and pretend to be asleep when his friend chose to turn in. He was still having trouble with visions when he closed his eyes and sleep was fast becoming a foreign concept to him. Once Ron and the rest of the household was asleep Harry would make his way down into the sitting room and stare out the window at the night sky. His treatment at the Burrow was beginning to remind him of how life was like at Privet Drive except now there was no Hedwig for companionship, no friends to look forward to seeing, no light at the end of the tunnel.


	5. Haunted

Haunted

* * *

**Sorry it's been awhile, lot's of assignments and tests at the moment, plus i'm working on the results of my own observational experiment so time is rather constrained - But then again procrastination is my friend and so i've produced this chapter. I'd really appreciate your feedback, you guys have the ability to see things that we, the authors who have read these things a hundred times, can't - So please let us know what you think :D**

* * *

The week ended on a low note for Harry with Hermione leaving in search of her parents. What stung him the most wasn't that she was leaving but that neither of his so-called best friends had told him. Both had yet to forgive him for making a scene at Colin's funeral and were still refusing to talk to him. He only found out about her impending departure when he came down from hiding out in the attic and walked in on Ron and his mother engaged in a heated argument in the sitting room "No! I absolutely forbid you Ronald! I've only just got all my family back I'm not about to let you go running off again!"

"That's not fair! We're only going to be gone for a few days then we'll be right back"

From his vantage point at the bottom of the stairs Harry watched the Weasley matriarch transform. Gone was the loving woman who over fed him at every opportunity, replaced by the witch who confronted Bellatrix Lestrange in the Great Hall "RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY I HAVE SAID NO! If Hermione wants to go that's her prerogative, your father has organised an Obliviator to escort her and do the reversal. You however are going to stay here and attend to your FAMILY!"

"FINE!" Ron was red with rage and he stormed towards Harry "What are you looking at!" he demanded before shouldering him aside. Harry grimaced when Ron's shoulder collided with his own and he had to grip the railing to keep from stumbling. Watching as Ron marched up the stairs without even looking back reminded him of their split in fourth year, with a sigh he continued his own decent into the lounge.

Entering into the sitting room he found Mrs Weasley with her back to him angrily sorting laundry. Harry looked outside; the rain that had prevented him from escaping outside all day was still falling. He felt antsy not being able to take his regular spot on Fred's seat. Without turning Mrs Weasley began speaking "Harry, there's a meeting tonight... of the Order... everyone is to attend... ... ... and before I forget please tell Hermione that Mr Manasseh is waiting in the kitchen" Harry thought she had finished speaking and turned back to the stairs when she spoke again "I know he's angry about what happened at the funeral... but this has got to stop!" he could tell she was barely holding it together, looking back he could see her leaning over and gripping the basket white knuckled "You both need to bury the hatchet. He needs someone to help him and I just... ... I'm not who he needs right now. He needs his friend back Harry, they all do, we've lost too much" bursting into tears she grabbed the basket of half folded cloths and hurried off leaving Harry alone in the room.

Rain continued to lash the windows and for several minutes he remained standing on the same spot. He was such a fool, running away from his problems, but he didn't know what to do, what to say, to make it all better. Every time he entered a room with one of the others he froze, unable to think and before he could overcome this they would walk out. Harry had tried to avoid being in the same room as one of them by spending his time outside but with the inclement weather forcing them all inside, today it would be virtually impossible.

Ascending to the second floor landing Harry ran into Ginny coming out of her room "I'll just go see what's up Ron's butt" she announced back towards her door before she noticed him. Her eyes gave him a once over and she paused, looking as though she wanted to say something but when she met Harry's gazed she shook her head, turned, and ran up the stairs.

Looking into Ginny's room he could see Hermione sorting objects within her beaded bag. Stealing himself Harry moved into the entrance way "So, I hear you're going off to find your parents" he said to announce his presence. Harry had expected her to yell or tell him to go away instead Hermione just looked up at him and frowned before going back to sorting her bag "Mrs Wealsey say's to tell you there's a Mr Manasseh waiting for you in the kitchen"

Finished with her bag she tucked it into her robes and made to leave, as she passed Harry took hold of her wrist bringing her to a halt "Hermione... ..." now that he had her attention he still didn't know what he was going to say "look I'm... I'm sorry for what happened, I... ... I just... ... just... come back yeah. Come home, I need the chance to get my friends back. You three won't talk to me and... I miss you" he dropped his hold on her and looked forlornly at the floor waiting for her to walk away.

He was surprised to feel her hand on his shoulder "We're not... deliberately... not talking to you" she said awkwardly "we just don't know what to say" she pushed his chin up so that Harry was forced to look up. Her deep brown eyes radiated sincerity as she continued "I'm still your friend, always will be, ok. We'll talk when I get home" she gave him a quick peck on the cheek before disappearing down the stairs.

It was a start, unfortunately he had left it too late and now Hermione was leaving for the other side of the world. Harry missed her actual departure because he didn't want to cause a scene but he joined everyone in the kitchen a few minutes later as they left for the Order meeting.

There portkey deposited them in a quiet country lane bordered on one side by a high stone wall and with a hedge along the other. A single street lamp glowed softly from down the road providing the only illumination. The Weasley's moved off towards the light source and Harry fell in behind the others. Reaching the lamp a silver haired Elphias Doge called out them "Welcome, welcome, come inside" he was gesturing to a section of the wall. Both Harry and Ron slowed unable to see where they were supposed to go "Harry my boy! Good to see you again, in the flesh so to speak" he seemed rather excitable and held out his hand for Harry

"Nice to see you again Mr Doge" shaking the elderly wizards hand

"Elphias, please call me Elphias" he pointed to Ron and Harry "You two haven't been here before so you'll need this" he said handing Harry a scrap of folded parchment to read

_Number Eight Rose Lane, Oxford_

_Home of Elphias Doge_

_Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix_

As he handed the parchment over to Ron, Harry watched a crack form in the stone wall. The edges of the wall rolled back to reveal a two storey weathered brick house that seemed to spring up from the ground in a similar way that happens in children's pop-up books. A well manicured garden rolled out like a carpet and climbing vines appear to engulf the house. Doge gave him a prod in the back and taking the hint he followed the rest of the Weasely family towards the front door. A snarling noise issuing from a row of flowers made Harry pause to inspect them. The vibrant red and blue flowers were the size of tennis ball, they shook their leaves aggressively when they growled and as he got closer they bared a row of tiny teeth at him

"You'll not want to get to close to those Harry" said Doge from behind him

"What are they?"

"Those are my, soon to be, prize winning Snap Dragons. I actually crossbred them with some fanged violets, this Fidelius Charm has been a blessing, means I can grow what I like without having to worry about the muggles. Mrs Giardino doesn't stand a chance this year"

"What happens if I got closer?" asked Harry watching a small wisp of smoke escape from the nearest flower

"Well if you treat them right while they're growing, Snap Dragons become fiercely loyal and act like muggle guide dogs" Doge was now scratching the flowers around the base of their petals

"I think you mean guard dogs – guide dogs are for the blind" Doge was the first person to talk to Harry properly in two days and he was enjoying being able to have a normal conversation – well as normal as one gets in the wizarding world

"Right, right, yes that makes a bit more sense doesn't it? Anyway a Snap Dragon becomes really loyal to their breeder. If someone comes on to the property uninvited or attacks the owner the flowers will literally ignite and send fire balls at your assailant. It's very impressive to watch, unfortunately it can play havoc with the rest of the garden and it takes several days for the flowers to calm down enough to extinguish themselves"

A feminine voice from the doorway garnered their attention "Elphias dear, can you stop pottering around in your garden for five minutes, you've got guests waiting"

"Oh right-o dear just showing young Harry here my Snap Dragons" the elderly woman rolled her eyes before moving back inside the house followed by Harry and Doge. Judging by the interior, whoever designed this house had are penchant for using wood. Dark polished hardwood floors, wooden staircase and carved wood cabinets. The only thing that had escaped this wood fetish appeared to be the walls which were covered in soft, floral patterned, lavender wallpaper. It wouldn't have surprised Harry if there was actually wood panelling hidden underneath, but no one needs that much wood.

A house-elf, in a brass buttoned red vest, directed Harry to a door at the far end of the hall. He found the rest of the Order assembled here around a huge circular mahogany table that appeared to be the centre point of a vast library. The magically expanded room was the size of the Great Hall and Harry could imagine Hermione salivating over the countless volumes that it held. Taking a seat between Elphias and Mrs Weasley he noted that there were far more people present than at previous meetings he had attended. All of the Weasleys except George and Ginny were present, Mrs Figg, McGonagall, Hagrid and to Harry's surprise Flitwick, a number of people Harry recognised from the Ministry were also there, all told nearly sixty wizards and witches were seated around the table.

Bringing the meeting to order Kingsley addressed the room "First up, I just like to thank those of you who made the service on Wednesday, I understand not everyone could attend but I just wanted to thank those of you who did. Second order on business – I am resigning as head of the Order and am removing myself from it entirely at the conclusion of this meeting" a chorus of objections accompanied his second announcement and Kingsley held his hand up for quiet "Listen, this is a step I have to take, the goals of the Order and those of the Ministry are not always the same and as long as I am Minister of Magic it would be a conflict for me. I hope that my successor will keep me in the loop and that we can form a working relationship" the room settled a little but everyone was exchanging disbelieving looks "Now I have thought hard over the past few days about who that person should be, to my mind only one name fits the bill, I would like to nominate Minerva McGonagall as the next head"

McGonagall appeared less than pleased by this and frowned at Kingsley's proposal. Her frown quickly transitioned to the scowl that Harry associated with a severe punishment when Elphias, Hagrid and Flitwick all sprang to their feet to second her nomination – though for Hagrid this was more dramatic than for the diminutive charms professor who merely disappeared from view.

Smiling at their enthusiasm Kingsley put it to a vote which was passed nearly unanimously – McGonagall chose to abstain "Minerva, I turn this meeting over to you"

With the aid of her cane she slowly came to her feet and with a pained expression nodded in acknowledgement to Kingsley "Thank you all, I appreciate your support" when Harry caught her eye she looked anything but appreciative and he imagined that she was more than a little annoyed with having this additional burden being thrust upon her.

"If you'll excuse the failings of an old woman I think I would prefer to sit through these proceeding if I may" retaking her seat Harry could see his former Professor changing gears as she assumed the mantle of leadership. Kingsley passed her his notes and she spent a few seconds reading before speaking again "As we are all aware there have been a number of Death Eater attacks since the Dark Lords defeat and while we can take joy at his demise I must remind you all that our work remains unfinished, until the threat has been eliminated this Order cannot rest. Portsmouth, Southampton, Middlesbrough, Exeter and Swansea have all been hit with very large scale raids recently, does anyone have anything to add to our knowledge of these incidents?"

"I do" Harry swivelled to see Fournier standing, he hadn't even realised the Auror was in the room, let alone the Order. He should have realised when he had to clear this trip through him and he didn't even ask for their destination, Harry had just put it down to the man's continued displeasure with him "This is just what's been kicking around the locker room at the Ministry but the scuttle butt is that these are two different groups. The hits on Southampton, Middlesbrough and Portsmouth are typical Death Eater, waltzing down the main street, blowing things up, killing anything that moves, shock and awe type stuff" everyone nodded along with this, unless Voldemort himself was involved there was little or no complexity to anything his minions did "anyone hearing that sort of ruckus either bails or sends for help, so it's over pretty quick. The strike on Exeter and later that night Swansea however are a different kettle of fish, first of all it wasn't the main centres they went after, it was actually small towns on their outskirts: Exminster near Exeter, Killay near Swansea. These raids individually cost more lives than the other three combined simply because their tactics were different. Instead of blasting their way into town these guys were quiet, went door to door, broke in, killed the occupants, and moved on. The alarm was only raised when someone accidently spotted the groups and the second it was" he clicked is fingers "they were gone" Harry didn't need to look around to know that people would be sharing horrified looks at the brutal efficiency of this second set of raids. With this style of attack there would be no warning until it was too late.

The shocked silence was broken by McGonagall "Was there anything else Fournier?"

"Just a mention of a wizard or a witch in purple robes seen at the Exeter attack but really that could be anyone"

This was the last piece of the meeting Harry really heard, he was aware of the others talking around him and he tried to pay attention but his mind kept wandering back to the scene playing through his head.

_Moonlight filtering down on a dimly lit street, not a soul is moving, a flash of green shines from a window followed in quick succession by two more, silence rules, a shadow flickers on the road, seconds tick by before, in a neighbouring building, another series of green flashes is seen. Elsewhere on the street this scene is repeating itself and still the deathly silence continues..._

Sometime later Harry realised he had missed the rest of the meeting and that people were getting up to leave. Moving to follow Mrs Weasley to the departure point he was stopped by Professor McGonagall "Potter, I just wanted to check with you that everything is alright"

Thinking she was asking about him being distracted he replied "Yes Professor, I'm fine, really"

"I was a little disappointed to see your display at Mr Creevey's funeral; I just hope you're not bottling this all up inside Harry"

He gave her a half-hearted smile "I'm fine, honestly" trying to end this line of questioning quickly he continued "look I'm sorry but I've got to catch up with Mrs Weasley" he knew he wouldn't stand up to much scrutiny. The meeting had taken nearly two hours and he was desperate for his next Chizpurfle hit, he could feel his anxiety rising, the last thing he wanted was to cause a scene in front of the Order. Fortunately it seemed McGonagall had taken him at face value and allowed him to escape but not before organising to meet with him, Hermione and Ron next week.

Arriving back at the Burrow's kitchen, Harry released the ruler that had acted as their portkey and made to make his way upstairs. He was distracted by the visions created by Fournier's report and the need to get to the jar of Chizpurfles upstairs when he accidently walked straight into Ron "Watch it Potter" he grunted with shove.

Unfortunately Ron's shove had connected with Harry's injured shoulder and he found himself pushing him back in retaliation. Before he even realised what was happening Ron had tackled him to the ground and they where exchanging blows as they tussled on the floor.

"ENOUGH!" screamed Mrs Weasley with her wand out, Harry felt himself magically hoisted by his ankle and suspended upside down next to a still thrashing Ron "Stupid Scar-head!" It took Ron a few seconds to understand his predicament and to still his flailing fists, once he had Mrs Weasley levitated them even higher until they were both hanging at her eye level "You two should be ashamed of yourselves, absolutely despicable behaviour! Now, I _was_ going to throw something together for a late dinner but _you two_ obviously have too much energy to need any more feeding!" turning to face Harry she gestured to Kreacher "take you next dose and then bed!" the house elf, who had been watching from the side lines, rushed over and held up a flask containing the Mandrake potion. Grabbing hold of the bottle Mrs Weasley unceremoniously dumped him head first on to the ground "And a soon as I've clean up you up Ronald you can join him!"

Harry took a quick look at Ron who was still being magically held inverted in the air. His lip was beginning to swell and blood was slowly oozing from his nose giving Harry some grim satisfaction at having come off better than his opponent. Trying to rise, the shooting pain in his shoulder put paid to this reality but he was determined not to let Ron see this and walked stoically out of the Kitchen before sprinting up the stairs. In his room he was able to take refuge in the bliss that the Chizpurfles offered and then chugged down his potion.

A few minutes later he assumed his 'sleeping' position as a muttering Ron stomped into the room, he crashed around for a while, doing what? Harry wasn't quite sure, but eventually he dowsed the lamp and got into bed. Usually Ron was asleep within minutes but tonight it seemed to take a couple of hours before he succumbed. Lying in bed Harry tried his best to push his nightmares away, he focus on the snores issuing from across the room, finding in them a gentle rhythm to soothe his mind, but it was to no avail. Ever elusive, sleep once again refused to come to him; eventually he got up and made his way downstairs for the third night in a row.

The rest of the household had gone to bed a long time ago. Harry knew that the only person likely to be awake would be the night shift from his detail; they would be propped up in the kitchen trying to stay awake. With practiced ease he avoided the noisy step near the bottom of the stairs, stole past the kitchen door and entered the living room. Recently he had taken a liking to spending the night looking out the windows which gave him a panoramic view of the Burrow's property and surrounding countryside.

The rain, that had kept them confined all day, had moved on but a thunderstorm was gathering on the horizon and Harry could see lightning flashes illuminating the distant hills. The approach of the storm left the Burrow bathed in silence, no rain or wind disturbed the calm. Moonlight filtered through breaks in the clouds, casting eerie shadows, rendering the landscape into black and grey hues. He was so mesmerise with the scene that he failed to notice as he slipped back into his imaginings from earlier in the evening:

_Standing in the doorway of a single story house, he looked out across the paved courtyard towards the road. He wasn't sure what had awakened him or why he felt the need to look outside at this hour of the morning, perhaps he needed some night air. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as an unseasonal chill descended, only the occasional sound of distant vehicles disturbed the quiet._

_Down the street a movement from within a shadow caught his attention, for reasons unknown even to himself he tensed and began unconsciously fingering his wand inside his robes. Whatever had caught his eye had come from a light well near the entrance to Mr and Mrs Wynne's house. For what seemed like an age he stood rooted to the spot, never looking away, he willed himself to be able to see more clearly into the gloom. Having subjected the area to several minutes of intense scrutiny he gave up on seeing anything further and decided it was probably nothing; a neighbourhood cat or something. _

_Just as he looked away a sudden flash brought his attention back, however the scene remained unchanged. Had he actually seen a flash? Or was his overactive imagination playing tricks on him? From his position in the doorway he couldn't see if anything was amiss. He contemplated ignoring the whole thing and going back to bed but really, sleep wasn't an option right now, with his curiosity piqued he would lie awake envisioning various scenario's until he returned to investigate what he had seen._

_Thinking to skip the intervening steps in the hope of actually getting some sleep later he decided have a quick look around. Grabbing his travelling cloak and draping it around his shoulders for warmth he slipped out into the night. Taking advantage of the moon being temporarily obscured he crossed the street and hopped the small garden fence that bordered all the properties on the road. Picking his way through Mrs Wynne's pot plants he crossed their courtyard, the scent of lavender hung heavily in the air._

_Approaching the corner of the house he pressed himself against the wall and peered around it. A never before used instinct had earlier told him not to use a 'Lumos' spell to light his way. Even without the additional light he could see well enough from this range to determine that whatever had caught his attention before was no longer there. His curiosity quenched he was about to return home when he saw the Wick's front door was ajar. Alarm bells rang in his head; the Wynne's were very security conscious, Gareth Wynne was the head of local muggle neighbourhood watch and would never leave his door unlocked, let alone open._

_Not wanting to cause a fuss if he was mistaken he decided to look inside. Very slowly, with his wand held out in front of him, he entered the house. There was no sign of any burglars; in fact everything looked pristine and undisturbed. Entering the living room, he noticed it was set out similar to his own with the seating arranged so that it looked towards the main windows and you could see any visitors coming in off the street. A number of unmoving photographs lined the walls, chronicling the growth of the Wynne's two teenage children._

_With the house being the same design as his own he knew that there were three bedrooms were off a hallway on the far side of the lounge. This was the point of no return, if he proceeded any further he might wake one of the family and face angry questions as to why he was in their house at 3am, but if he turned around now, he could simply lock the door and no-one would know he had been there. His decision was made for him however when a green glow issued briefly from the hall and he heard thumping noises coming from the same direction. The first door in the hallway was ajar, quickly looking inside he could see the prone form of the Wynne's eldest in bed, he was either sleeping or dead but he had no time to waste finding out, he could hear the creak of footsteps coming from the bedroom behind him._

_He turned and steeled himself for action, turning the door handle he was surprised by a sudden flash and a hand touching his elbow. Reacting instinctively Harry turned and suddenly the Wynne's family home was exploding around him… _but it wasn't the Wynne family home he was standing in, it was the Burrow

Halfway through his turn, in a second that seemed to stretch into an eternity, Harry's mind began sorting the chaos he was engulfed in. He was still standing before the windows in the Burrow's sitting room, the thunderstorm, which had been off in the distance earlier, was now overhead and the night was punctuated by streaks of lightning and reverberating thunder. The ornate glass vases that Percy had conjured three days earlier were all shattering around him, as were the windows, chairs and tables were exploding - it appeared that anything remotely breakable was bursting into tiny shards, adding their vicious projectiles to the maelstrom flying across the room. Finally his mind catalogued the small hand that was lightly touching his elbow.

Even without seeing the rest of the body attached to that hand he instantly knew who it belonged to. For months he had studied her features, committing them all to memory and he had used those memories to sustain him through the ordeals of the past eight months. Continuing his turn he could see the concerned face of Ginny Weasley morphing into shock as her surrounds were torn asunder. With reactions born from years of Quidditch training and honed by a life escaping countless deadly situations Harry threw himself at her, propelling Ginny onto the couch behind her, where he instinctively covered her body with his own. Thousands of deadly shards attempted to pepper his body but were repelled by a soft blue light that cocooned the pair.

As the cacophony of sound that had accompanied the ordeal died down the reality of what he had done sunk into Harry's mind. Somehow he had nearly blown apart the downstairs of the Burrow and what was worse he had almost killed Ginny in the process. He could feel her beneath him, her arms around him, clutching tight to his waist. Pulling himself away he checked to see if she was ok, patting down her body "Oh Merlin Ginny, are you alright... ... I didn't mean... I didn't see..." he was stammering and he could feel himself shaking

"Harry, I'm fine"

"... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." bits of memories and dreams were flashing before his eyes

"Harry!"

"... I didn't mean... could've died..." visions of the dead and dying from his past merged themselves into a continuous nightmare

"Harry!"

"... I'm so sorry... ... I didn't know..."

"HARRY!" he hadn't even noticed Ginny calling his name but the accompanying slap with her latest shout brought him out of his stupor long enough for her to struggle out from beneath him and push him back to sit opposite her.

"Harry?" he could hear her questioning tone but he didn't know what she wanted from him. He couldn't believe he had almost hurt her, he cared so much about her, but that was the story of his life, anyone he cared about got hurt or killed. Hermione had been tortured, Ron attacked by brains, Fred dead, Dobby dead, George lost an ear, Dumbledore dead, Sirius dead, Cedric dead, Lupin dead... ...

The world passed by him as he sat almost catatonic on the couch. He was completely unaware of the dramatic entrance of Fournier from the kitchen or of the Weasleys tumbling downstairs, he didn't see Ginny's interaction with her family, hear her threaten and cajole her family into leaving them alone, or Mr Weasley agreeing on the proviso that Fournier stayed in the room. He missed all of it as he descended into a darkening pit of despair

"Harry? Can you hear me?" her hand was gently caressing his check, it felt warm and comfortable to have it there, even if the skin was still tingling from her earlier blow

"I'm sorry Gin, I'm sorry..."

"It's ok, I'm fine, honestly. I shouldn't have scared you like that"

"I could've hurt you... ... you could've been, you could've been..." images off what might have happened to Ginny swirled before him – _lying torn and broken in a ever increasing pool of blood, her flesh lacerated by the flying debris, eye staring unblinkingly towards the roof_.

It was all crashing down on him now, Harry struggled to breath and his shoulder screamed in protest at his racing heart. Losing control he scrambled for his pocket and the Chizpurfles hidden within, it was taking too long trying to open the jar from inside his robes and in desperation he pulled it out to get a better grip on it.

He managed to twist the lid off and was pulling out one of the bugs when Ginny's hand closed on his wrist, restricting his movement "What the hell are those Harry?"

"Nothing... they're mine, I need them, I need... just, just one, just one" he panted trying to wrest his arm away from her grip

"No! Give them here!" before he could stop her she had pulled the jar away from him and snatched the lid from his lap "I don't know what these are, but you don't need them. Look at me Harry!" she was kneeling beside him on the couch and had gripped his chin, forcing him to face her "You. Don't. Need. Them. Just breathe"

Staring eye to eye he could see her fear and concern. Held in place he desperately tried to match her breathing, he had to use all his determination to fight for control and conquer the feeling of helplessness that had surged within him. He focused on her lips, watching the tiny movements she made as she switched between inhaling and exhaling, she wasn't wearing lipstick or anything of the like but still they looked full and red. Every now and then she repeated "That's it, just breath" with her soothing voice

As he calmed Ginny loosened her grip on him. Harry took the opportunity to distract himself and looked around at the devastation surrounding them; needle like splinters protruded from every surface, it appeared only the couch they were lying on had weathered the onslaught intact, wind and rain were entering through the shattered windows and shredded pieces of paper fluttered about. Fournier was working his way around the room repairing everything as he went, it appeared he didn't have the ability that Dumbledore and Professor Slughorn had in being able to repair an entire room in one go. Kreacher was using his own brand of magic to remove the splinters that were lodged into every surface.

Taking stock of the damage he found it hard to believe he had unwittingly caused it all. Harry remembered the wave of energy that had erupted within him when he felt Ginny's hand on his elbow, in less time than it would have taken to consciously decide he had released the surge, not knowing what it would do but understanding that it was his magic responding to protect him.

Having finished assessing the results of his wandless magic he returned to Ginny but he couldn't look her in the eye. How was he supposed to explain all this? The Chizpurfles? The funeral? The fight with Ron? Not to mention she wasn't even talking to him right now. He knew she wouldn't walk away though, it would only be a matter of time before the interrogation started and he didn't have any answers. Sure enough, as if she had read his mind Ginny began talking

"So, do wanna tell me what all that was about?"

Taking a breath, he tried to steady himself, his heart was beating a loud staccato rhythm in his ear, words formed on his lips but he didn't know what to say, he didn't really understand it all himself. Something rolled against his leg and he darted his eyes to see the jar of Chizpurfles resting there.

Ginny must have noticed his attention shift because she quickly snatched up the container "Oi You!" she shouted before viciously firing the glass jar at Fournier with all the venom of a Quaffle shot. The Auror barely had time to react and freeze the projectile midair, centimetres from his face "I don't care what they are! He didn't get them from anyone living here, so they're from one of you lot. Get rid of them before _I_ find somewhere that the sun don't shine to put them in!" her voice was full of vitriol and Fournier was sufficiently cowed by the fiery red head that he grabbed the container before hurrying out of sight.

Taking hold of Harry's hand she leaned forward and spoke softly but sternly "Like I said, I don't know what those were and I don't care, but whatever they were, I've seen you using them over the past few days and you needed to stop" he was shocked by her revelation. He had been so careful not to be seen with them, to be caught using them, but she had known all along. He felt like such a fool, a failure, he couldn't even keep something so simple a secret, no wonder the war cost so many lives, they had all relied on him and it had taken him seven years to get the job done.

A trickle of tears began making their way down his cheeks, his heart once again began its forceful thumping. Almost subconsciously he gave a furtive glance towards the door that Fournier had left through, it wasn't too late, if he went after him...

"Hey!" Ginny brought his attention back "You don't need those things, do you hear me. If you need something to focus on just squeeze my hand ok? I'm not going anywhere" compared to her earlier outburst her voice sounded like pure honey and the warmth it held gave him a little strength "I'm not going to leave you, I promise. I'm here for you, but you need to talk, whatever has been happening to you, you've bottled it up inside"

All he could do was nod, fresh tears falling freely. Over the next few hours he slowly revealed everything to the girl sitting next to him, not once did she attempt to disagree with anything he had to say, she simply let him speak. Once he started talking it all just came out; his fears, nightmares and memories where all laid bare before her. At times, when he struggled, she would caress his arm or cheek, giving him momentary comfort and the time to calm himself before prompting him to continue with a question. Not knowing why he told her everything, he didn't go into to details, he knew he could fill those in later, but he described all of his experiences; what happened in the graveyard after the tri-wizard tournament, with Dumbledore on astronomy tower, the Horcruxes, Malfoy Manor, Snape's memories, the Forbidden Forest, the Deathly Hallows...

Running out of things to say, he sat on the couch, his head held in his hands feeling hollow and exhausted. He had told her the sum of his existence, given it all to her, whether she knew it or not she now held his every weakness and secret in her hands. Fear welled within him, for the past ten minutes since he'd stopped she hadn't spoken a word and he was afraid to hear what she was going to say. He couldn't look at her either, he didn't want to see the look of revulsion that she would be wearing, and instead he forced himself to stare out the windows.

The storm had blown itself out and been replaced with a light drizzle. Several of the trees nearby had their volume of foliage reduced dramatically and small drifts of torn leaves were visible piled themselves against the doors and windows. Above the hills the first rays of dawn were stretching out to lighten the night sky

A squeeze of his hand let Harry know the Ginny was ready to talk, he turned to see instead of revulsion she was giving him a comforting smile. He could see her bloodshot eyes searching his face before they locked on to his own "Harry, don't take this the wrong way but..." here it comes, she was going to reject him, tell him to leave and to stay away from her family "...but you look like hell"

Completely taken aback he snorted in surprise and for the first time in two days smiled. The pool of despair that had been swirling around within him ebbed a little.

"Seriously" her fingers were gently tracing the outline of his chin "When was the last time you slept properly?"

Still feeling the glow of relief at having not been rejected Harry couldn't help replying "Got a calendar?"

She gave him a gentle slap on his cheek "Prat... ... have you slept at all... since..."

Harry knew she was referring to the battle, everyone was tiptoeing around the subject because there was too much pain associated with it for most "Not really" he replied with a shake of his head "They're there... If I close my eyes I can't stop them... ... everyone dies... I can't... all I see are Dobby... Moody... Snape... Remus... Sirius... ..."

Suddenly he was engulfed in Ginny's arms, he hadn't realised he had started crying but soon he was openly sobbing, guilt and pain washed over him. So many were gone, dead and buried never to be seen again, all because of him, for him, whatever way he looked at it their deaths were ultimately his responsibility.

* * *

Harry gently surfaced into semi-consciousness, he didn't exactly know where he was, but it was warm and comfortable. Lying in that blissful state between sleeping and wakefulness, he kept his eyes closed and listened to his surroundings. He could hear the clink of cutlery, he presumed from the kitchen, Mr Weasley was having a conversation with somebody in there and a rhythmic thumping sound was also issuing from close at hand. He briefly considered investigating what it was but he had absolutely no desire to do anything other than snuggle back down into the warmth

* * *

A loud whispered conversation brought Harry back to reality this time

"No mum, I'm perfectly happy where I am" Ginny's voice reverberated loudly from near his head

Mrs Weasley's voice was further away but almost as loud "Except to go to the bathroom, you haven't moved from that spot in two days"

"Keep it down, you'll wake him"

"Don't you tell me what to do young lady, you're still in trouble for your stunt the other morning and don't you forget it" This was delivered near full volume, but it was soon followed by the sound of Mrs Weasley's footsteps receding into the kitchen.

Feigning sleep Harry tried not to pull a face when something began tickling his nose, it continued to annoy him for nearly a minute

"Give it up sleepyhead, I know you're awake"

Admitting defeat he cracked an eye open to see the blurred out line of Ginny deliberately dangling strands of her hair over his face. He quickly established he was looking up at her from her lap and that she was his comfy cushion

"Hey" he said, not knowing what else to say

"Hey yourself" she replied with a smile handing him his glasses "How much of that did you hear?"

"Some, I was out for two days?"

"Yeah mum's going spaz, she threatened to take you to St Mungo's cos you managed to sleep through the argument we had yesterday and you've been running a fever until this morning. Also she says it's not dignified for a teenage boy and girl to be sleeping together. Madam Pomfrey has been in and out, I don't think she's too impressed, apparently those _chezpuff_ things played havoc with you"

Embarrassed, Harry tried to shrink away and hide beneath the fluffy duvet that had been wrapped around him.

"I don't think so buddy" she giggled pulling the duvet away "time for you to join us here in the real world"

Harry grumbled as he tried to wriggle back to the warmth he had been encased in. Ginny's nail scratched at the stubble beneath his chin causing him to cease his efforts to escape "You need a shave, and a shower, and I'm pretty sure you'll be hungry" she moved a plate of food into his view and raised an eyebrow

His stomach let him know that under no uncertain terms food was definitely a priority, he hadn't eaten properly since the battle and now had gone two full days without any food at all. Reluctantly he sat up and accepted the plate of Bacon & Egg pie "So you're in trouble?" he asked before shoving a large fork full of pie in his mouth

"Duh, do you really think I would get away with casting a silencing charm on my mother without repercussions?"

Choking on his mouthful he looked at her incredulously

"What? She wouldn't go back upstairs when... well you know" Harry knew she was referring to his _episode_ "and she wouldn't shut up, so I cast the charm and luckily dad managed to convince her to leave us alone. Unfortunately when he got to work yesterday he found this letter from Mafalda Hopkirk on his desk" she handed him a piece of parchment

_Dear Arthur_

_I regret to inform you that, once again, we suspect your daughter Ginevra has breached the statute for underaged magic. I have, as a courtesy to you, withheld starting yet another investigation which would inevitably result in the Ministry giving her another formal warning, but I must advise you that any further breach will result in immediate disciplinary action. The consequences of which will be quite beyond my control._

_As always, your devoted friend_

_Mafalda_

"Mum was none too pleased about it. As soon as you're up and about I'm sentenced to hard labour"

"Ginny I'm so..."

She clamped a hand over his mouth before he could finished apologising to her "Don't, you needed my help, I should have been there for you, we all should have understood that what happened at Colin's funeral was a sign that you needed help. We as a family failed you, don't you dare say sorry, we love you"

They were nose to nose and Harry could almost feel himself falling as he got lost in the depth of her eyes. Ginny's hand slowly slipped from his mouth to rest cupped around his neck. It was the first time they had been this close since Bill & Fleur's wedding and he was inexplicably drawn to her. The space between then rapidly closed before their lips crashed together. The animal, that had lain dormant within his chest, roared into life. There were so many things he needed to say to Ginny and right now he tried to put everything he felt for her into this kiss.

The kissed deepened and the passion involved became so intense that Harry struggled to keep his hands from exploring her body as he desperately longed to do, restraining himself somewhat he allowed his hands to become entwined in her glorious mane of hair. It felt so natural to have her in his arms and it was only when he began straining for air that he reluctantly pulled away, resting his forehead against hers he breathed in her flowery scent

"I'd nearly forgotten how good that felt" she panted tears slowly coursing down her checks

Harry cupped her face, using his thumbs he gently brushed the droplets away. She ducked her head in embarrassment "You must think I'm such a girl falling apart like this"

"I see nothing wrong with you being a girl, in fact I think it's one of your best attributes, else this would be kind of weird"

Ginny poked her tongue out at him and he was relieved to see it followed by a ghost of a smile

"It's stupid I know, but I missed you so much. For months I've haven't heard a word about you, I had to keep reminding myself that this was a good thing and then you were at Bill's and I wanted so desperately to see you but mum and dad wouldn't let me. Finally I saw you at Hogwarts, alive and in the flesh, and I know you didn't have time to stop and talk or anything but you were so close yet I couldn't be with you... and then... ... the next time I saw you..." she had dissolved into tears and was gripping the front of his shirt

"I was in Hagrid's arms" he said. She nodded in acknowledgement "I'm sorry Gin, but it was the only way" he didn't have to explain more, he had told her all the reasons already, so he pulled her into his arms and just held her until her sobbing subsided.

"I must be a mess" she said using her sleeve to wipe at her face.

Harry stilled her hand and lifted her chin to see her better, he managed to murmur "No, you're beautiful" before gently meeting her lips with his own. In contrast to their first kiss this one was soft and sensual. Her succulent lips made small almost imperceptible movements as the shared something much more important than passion. Ginny moved to straddle his lap and there remained frozen, exchanging slow, gentle kisses, drinking in the contact they had both longed for. His heart melted as a wave of warmth swelled up within him and he settled into a comforting bliss that a Chizpurfle couldn't even come close to achieving

Unfortunately the couple were disrupted by the appearance of Ron at the kitchen door "TYPICAL! BLOODY TYPICAL! IT'S HASN'T EVEN BEEN A WEEK AND YOU COULDN'T KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF HIM! NO, INSTEAD I FIND YOU PRACTICALLY SHAGGING HIM LIKE A CHEAP WHORE!" his face was bright red as he stormed across the room and up the stairs.

Grabbing hold of an incandescent Ginny he held her back as she scrambled to get to her wand and hex her brother, Harry decided he should be the one to go after him "Wait Gin, he doesn't mean it, he's angry at me. You'll just get in trouble if you go and hex him now" for a few moments more she tried to escape his restraints, after expelling multiple expletives she eventually calmed down enough for him to release his hold from around her arms "I need to sort this out" he said before dropping to a whisper "plus I'm pretty sure your mum is standing behind me and is going to want an explanation"

Still panting from anger and exertion she took a quick look over his shoulder, he could tell from her expression he was right. She moved aside and he got to his feet giving her hand a small squeeze, he distinctly heard her call him a 'coward' in a low undertone before he turned and fled up the stairs, studiously ignoring Mrs Weasley standing in the kitchen doorway.

* * *

Standing of the fifth floor landing Harry mentally prepared himself for what was about to happen, taking a calming breath he reach for the door knob to Ron's room – locked. Undeterred he pulled out his wand and cast '_Alohomora_', when he tried the knob again it turned but the door itself refused to budge. Frowning in frustration he knew there was now only two ways he was going to get into that room; either Ron was going to let him in or... "_Evanesco!_" the door vanished to reveal the desk and frog tank that had been piled up against the door.

An astonished Ron stood gaping from the other side as Harry began manhandling the obstacles out of the way "What the hell did you do? Where's my bloody door?"

Taking advantage of a temporarily stunned Ron, Harry scrambled in past the objects blocking the door way "Relax, it's fine" with a wave of his wand he re-conjured the missing door back to its original position "see, no harm - no foul"

"No-harm – no foul? No it's not fine! Obviously I didn't want anyone to come in here, what give you the right to just come barging in?" Ron was a vivid scarlet to the tip of his ears and Harry could see his hands were balled up into fists

"Hey it was either me or your sister was gonna come up here and she would've blown the door straight off of its hinges. And as much as I would've liked to have seen that I also know that you and I need to talk!"

"Talk! TALK! Now you want to talk! You've had nearly a whole bloody week Harry but obviously I wasn't as important to talk to as getting into my sisters knickers!" Ron had advanced across to the middle of the room and Harry was straining to resist the urge to lunge forward and punch him

"First of all, I was passed out for two days so they hardly count. Secondly, stop going on about your sister as if she's a cheap floozy! She deserves better than that and she didn't do anything wrong! Thirdly it's very hard to talk to you if YOU WON'T EVEN STAY IN THE SAME ROOM!" Harry had covertly positioned himself between Ron and the door, he was determined that they were going to have it out, and have it out now

"Well... Well... I was angry with you wasn't I? Why would I want to stay in the same room with someone who acts like that at a funeral?"

"You were angry? I was angry! I couldn't believe I had done that, Colin was my friend and I disrespected him and his entire family. Then I get home and I'm ashamed, I wanted to apologize about what had happened but none of you would even talk to me!" cried Harry

"How the hell was I supposed to know you wanted to apologize?"

"I dunno!"

"I didn't know either!"

The both stood face to face, chests heaving. Harry could hear his heart pulsing in his head and his hand was automatically searching for the jar that was no longer in his pocket

"Are we done shouting?" asked Ron

"Yes! I mean... ... yeah" Harry replied managing to calm himself at his second attempt

"Good" Ron cast about for something to do before choosing to sit on his bed

Harry moved across and sat beside him "Look I'm sorry for what I did at the funeral and..."

"It's not me you should be apologizing to" interrupted Ron

"Yeah I know but I've got to start somewhere... so I'm sorry about that and disappearing afterwards, and then you know... spewing on..." he gestured at his friend

"Yeah thanks for that it was kinda gross... and I'm sorry... about... you know... the whole not talking thing"

Harry nodded in acceptance. It was a few moments before he managed to ask "Are we good?"

"We're good" replied Ron with a smile

The two of them sat in companionable silence watching the various Cannon's players manoeuvring inside their posters.

It was Ron who eventually broke the silence "So... ah, mum says your sick"

Harry snapped his head around at this. Did she really think that about him? He didn't really care what the rest of the world had to say about him but the Weasleys were the closest people he had to family and he valued their opinions

Ron must've read something in his expression because he quickly backtracked and clarified "I mean she says you haven't been feeling well"

Relief flooded through him "Right, yeah"

"She said you were taking too many of those bug things"

His relief was instantly replaced by guilt and he quietly nodded

"You don't have them anymore do you?"

"Ginny gave them back to Fournier" he said with a slow shake of his head

"Ginny huh? So you two are back together? Just like that?" Ron had a bit of an edge to his voice and Harry knew he wasn't sure whether or not to support this.

"It's not '_just like that_'. We had a long talk and we'll need several more long talks but I care about her, you know? She understands what it's like to go through the stuff we've been involved with and she sees _me_ as _me_ not some title the press made up" This was the most candidly he had spoken to anyone about Ginny since Dumbledore's funeral and Harry's cheeks were overheating with blush "Look your mum's probably giving Ginny the third degree as we speak, do you mind if we go down and rescue her?"

They shifted the desk and frog tank back to their original position and Harry was about to open the door when Ron put his hand on his shoulder and spoke from behind his back "As your friend I think it's great that you've found someone... but as her brother... l know you guys came to some sort of arrangement when you split up but it still hurt her, badly. So as her brother I'm warning you – don't ever hurt her again"

Knowing that it had to be said Harry nodded his acceptance of Ron's pronouncement. Ron dropped his hand from his shoulder and the pair left the bedroom

"So have you heard anything from Hermione?" asked Harry as he and Ron rounded the first floor landing

"Nah, just a note through the Ministry saying they arrived safely and they're starting the... search... ..." Ron had slowed down as they reached the final steps. Harry looked at him and followed his gaze to see a rather crowded sitting room with McGonagall, Kingsley, Pomfrey, Hagrid, Fournier, Andromeda, Charlie, Bill, Fleur and Mr & Mrs Weasley all standing looking at him expectantly.

Ginny, who had been hidden behind the others, was holding Teddy and she walked up him "They're all here to see you Harry, I'm gonna take Teddy and Ron upstairs cos they want privacy" she gave him a reluctant smile and a kiss on the cheek before grabbing Ron's wrist and leaving him to his fate

"Hi" he said gingerly

McGonagall was the first to speak "Harry we would like a word" she said gesturing to a seat that all the others in the room were arrayed towards


	6. Demons

Demons

**Sorry for the long wait, my laptop went and died on me and i've only had limited internet access since. But back at university again so should be able to write some more, i'm currently halfway through chapter 7 hopefully will have that done by the end of the month and the storyline should move a bit faster after that. This is the original version of this chapter (as the updated one was lost on my laptop) some further editing may occur - if i find something that doesn't read well etc... but the plot line will stay the same**

**Anyway enough rambling... Enjoy - Please Read and Review**

* * *

It was the day after Harry's 'big talk' with McGonagall and the rest. They had descended on the Burrow out of concern for his well being. While he appreciated that they were worried about him, the entire thing had been extremely uncomfortable; Madam Pomfrey had brought up subjects like 'substance abuse' and 'mental health issues' all of which Harry really didn't want to discuss with an audience present. The meeting had lasted well into the night and it must have been well past midnight before he was allowed to leave.

Mrs Weasley had followed him up to Ron's room and sat with him, refusing to leave until he had fallen asleep. When he had awoken the next morning it was to find Charlie reading a book at the base of his bed, he had said he was just waiting for Harry to wake up so he could show him some photos of Norberta, but he got the distinct impression he was being watched. This idea was further reinforced when Connor had followed him outside and continued to accompany him while he walked around the Burrow property line.

Coming inside he found Ginny setting the table for breakfast "Enjoy your walk?" she asked with a smile that made his heart do a back flip

"Yeah, I did" She handed him all the knives and he started working alongside her "Gives me a chance to think about stuff" He could see Mrs Weasley over by the stove trying not to be obvious as she listened in to their conversation but the not so subtle glances she kept giving them were a dead give away

"And?" prompted Ginny

"And I… think I should go see Dennis and his parents, you know… apologise"

"Are you sure that's what you want to do?" a hint of concern colouring her voice "Are you up to it?"

He was a little hurt that Ginny was worried about him being able to handle things but with recent events he couldn't really blame her for having some apprehensions "I can't really put it off can I? It needs to be done, sooner rather than later"

She nodded in understanding "Just let me know when and I'll come with you" he was about to protest that she didn't need to but she grabbed hold of his hand and continued "I want to be there Harry"

They both heard the snort that issued from Mrs Weasley and looked up. She must have realised she had been caught eavesdropping because she began speaking as if she had been participating in the conversation all along "And what about the other things we talked about last night dear?"

Harry grimaced briefly before he saw the look of confusion on Ginny's face, the meeting had lasted so long that by the time he was freed Ginny, George and Ron were already asleep "They want me to visit some places…"

She raised an eyebrow in apprehension "Like?"

"Like Hogwarts and Godric's Hollow" he muttered in resignation

Her apprehension fell almost immediately into a grimace and it was a few seconds before she spoke "What? Why? Why there? Of all the places?"

"Madam Pomfrey thinks I may have some 'repressed issues' or something" he rolled his eyes at the idea but neither Ginny nor Mrs Weasley seemed to agree with his dismissal "She thinks by visiting these and a couple other places it might force me to deal with them" he added with a shrug

He watched as Ginny began to lightly chew on her bottom lip, it was something he had seen Hermione do when she was contemplating a difficult problem but the gesture looked so much more endearing on Ginny. She continued setting places before turning back to him "Is this something you want to do?"

"I think it's something that I need to do, I can't afford another _episode_ like the other night, you could've been hurt"

She grabbed his arm "Harry, I don't want you doing this for me"

"No, it's not that… put it this way, what's good for you is good for me" Ginny was still looking at him. He could tell she was unsure what to think of what he had said "From what Madam Pomfrey said last night if I don't confront some of my demons then those episodes are going to keep happening and next time I might not be so lucky and end up hurting somebody. I couldn't stand knowing I was responsible for hurting someone, especially someone I care about" he ended this sentence with his hand cupping Ginny's cheek, the two of them stood lost in each other's eyes until an "Ahem" from the other occupant of room broke the moment.

Harry made to drop his hand but instead found it taken into Ginny's grasp.

Mrs Weasley was subjecting them both to a thoughtful look "It's probably a good idea, as much as you might not like it dear, the reason these places might be difficult for you to visit is that they hold bad memories" she moved to stand in front of him "if you don't do this you'll end up bottling everything up and I certainly don't want to see a repeat of the other night"

Any resolve he had to avoid confronting these memories drained out of him and he paled as he recollected what could've happen to Ginny. He didn't know how they had escaped the exploding shards without injury but he knew, full well, that he could have been attending the funeral of the girl in front of him.

Ginny moved around to replace her mother standing in front of him "I'll be with you every step of the way, ok?" she was looking directly at him and he couldn't doubt the sincerity he saw in her eyes

"Ok Gin"

"Good" she said giving him a playful pat on his cheek "now finish setting the table, Ron'll be down any minute and you know how he can get in he's not fed on time"

Mrs Weasley shook her head at the truthfulness of this statement and finished preparing breakfast. Soon the entire Weasley clan joined them in the kitchen and sat down for another generously proportioned meal, everyone's appetites appeared to be slowly returning with Ron actually asking for seconds. After breakfast Mr Weasley and Percy left for the Ministry along with Charlie who was going in to see Kingsley.

When Harry told Ron about going to see Colin's parents he had asked to join them but Mrs Weasley discreetly took him aside, asking him to keep an eye on his brother. While George still got up, showered and ate this was all he appeared to do other than go out and sit at his brother's grave side. He didn't speak; he interacted with others if spoken to but only as far as to respond to them. Everyone was worried and Mrs Weasley refused to let him out of sight assigning members of the family to be his companion/shadow

* * *

The visit to Colin's parents started out very sombre with Harry unreservedly giving them his apology. He offered no explanation as none would be acceptable. He felt very alone and ashamed as he stood before the two of them, the highly charged silence continued until Dennis, who had been standing a little behind his parents, rushed forward and hugged him breaking the ice and the Creevey's invited Harry, Ginny, Mrs Weasley and Paddy into their home

It was of no surprise to Harry that from a young age Colin had chronicled his own life with a camera and Mrs Creevey brought forward a large volume of albums to show them. When they reached his time at Hogwarts Harry and his friends featured prominently, especially during Quidditch matches but there were others: Candid photos from the Gryffindor common room, a large number from the Tri-wizard tournament and even a few of just Harry and Ginny sitting by the lake.

While he enjoyed reliving the happy memories these photos evoked there were just as many sad ones attached. Pictures of Fred, Dumbledore and Lupin were particularly upsetting, he had caught a few shots of Mad-Eye and Tonks from their presence at Kings Cross and a few poignant ones of an enthusiastic 'Snuffles' bounding around the platform. What really started to get to Harry was that each photo was an expression on Colin who was now forever missing from this world. Ginny was a tower of strength as memories of lost friends flooded over Harry and she held his hand and rested her head on his shoulder

The Creevey's appeared to take comfort in hearing about the events happening in the photographs, Harry imagined it enabled them to feel closer to the world that the eldest son had spent the last few years of his life in. Mrs Weasley too was appreciating experiencing some of her sons memories as much as she deplored the pranks that Fred and George had instigated Harry was sure he could see a gleam of pride in the mischievous joy that Fred had created for himself.

Getting up to leave they were surprised by the flash of a camera Dennis was holding "I think I get it now, why he photographed everything..." a single tear rolled down his cheek as he took another photo of Mrs Weasley hugging his mother "... he wanted to make sure we couldn't forget, that there would always be a record, a memory" he held out the camera and took a final photo of himself standing in front of Harry and Ginny "I understand it now... Thank you for coming today Harry" the diminutive boy pulled him into a tight embrace before biding them farewell

* * *

Harry side-along apparated Ginny onto a hill overlooking the village. As he took in the view he heard the soft pop of Paddy, Fournier and Connor arriving with Mrs Weasley just behind them.

Ginny gave the village a considered look, she turned to him "Is this...?"

"Godric's Hollow" confirmed Harry, he squatted down taking in the quiet hamlet nestled in the bottom of a wooded valley. From their vantage point they could see almost the whole village and they could make out people going about their business along the main road "My parent's house and Bathilda's are down that end of town" he gestured to the far end off to their right "and just behind that church is where my parents are buried" he finished pointing to a white painted building with a steeple situated on the main road near the entrance to the village

Glancing behind he was given an encouraging nod by Mrs Wealsey who either recognised where they were or Paddy had told her already. Grabbing hold of Ginny's hand he led the procession down to the road below them and on into town, he was so intent on reaching the church he had forgotten about the memorial until he noticed it from the corner of his eye. When he stopped abruptly Ginny gave him a curious look

"You should have a look at that" he said pointing back across the street to the old war memorial

She looked back at him once before walking up to it. Harry could tell the instant she got within the border of the charms because she gasped before rushing forward, he smiled at her fascination but the smile became plastic as he remembered the first time he'd seen it. It looked completely different in the light of day, without the snow around it, not as peaceful but a little more upbeat. Ginny and Mrs Weasley were studying the plaque in front intently, Harry didn't need to read it again instead choosing to survey the rest of the town.

It was a collection of predominately stone and whitewashed two storey houses, mostly untouched by modern architecture. The inn was of Tudor style design and Harry wondered how many of the buildings around here actually dated from that time, from what he knew (mostly from Hermione) Godric's Hollow had been settled around the early 1500's by a mixture of wizarding and muggle families.

Fournier, who was standing back keeping over watch, caught his eye, he looked nervous, he probably didn't want to be standing in the open like this and gestured that they should move on.

Harry led Ginny and Mrs Weasley away from the memorial to the small iron gate beside the church, it screeched as he pushed it open startling an animal which disappeared into the bushes that bordered the cemetery, the similarity with the last time was eerie and made him nervous as he moved amongst the headstones. Approaching his parent's graves he slowed down and took in his surroundings, when he had been with Hermione he hadn't spent much time looking around.

The cemetery itself was situated on a slope overlooking a small river that meandered out of the valley entrance. It was enclosed by Holly trees occasionally interspersed with ancient Oaks, the further you moved in the older the graves, already Harry could see the lichen covered head stone from 1896 which he used as a marker to find his parents.

Reaching their graves he noticed footprints in the damp grass, had someone been here? Perhaps it wasn't an animal he had disturbed earlier, could it have been a person? The hairs on his neck raised and he glanced around to see if anyone was watching them. The only people he could see were his detail who were all facing outwards. It might just have been paranoia brought on from years of looking over his shoulder but the last time he had felt this way they he had been right and Harry was beginning to trust his instincts, someone had been here and they might still be watching.

Perhaps mistaking his behaviour as discomfort Mrs Weasley placed a comforting hand on his shoulder "It's alright Harry, we're here for you if you need"

Nodding his acceptance Harry walked forward and crouched down next to his parents "Hey mum, dad…. Well I did it, Voldemort's gone… it took sixteen years but it's finally over" he fell down to his knees at the relief he felt at being able to say that. It was finally over, no more living in fear, having to worry about what will happen to his friends and loved ones but even as he thought this the chasm that was his grief opened up within him. Tear poured unchecked down his checks and he reached out and started plucking dead leaves from the grass, cleaning the area to mask his sadness.

It was a few minutes before he spoke again "Mum, I know Sirius is with you guys and I hope Lupin and Tonks are there too and that they're behaving themselves… Dad, well… I hope they're not… behaving themselves that is" a snort from behind him reminded Harry that he wasn't alone and he reached back until he felt Ginny place her hand in his and pulled her forward "Mum, Dad this is Ginny. She's my…" unsure if they had actually agreed to be anything he looked to her for guidance

"Girlfriend" she confirmed with a sad smile

"She's my girlfriend" he returned her smile before looking back "we've had a bit of a rocky start but I think everything will work out, I certainly hope it does" she squeezed his hand in response "I know I haven't been to see you two that often, twice in sixteen years isn't a record to be proud of, but I'll try and make more regular appearances from now on, just know that were ever I go I carry you with me and there isn't a day that goes by I don't miss you both" he conjured a small vase of white lilies and place the between his parents headstones, unable to hold it back any longer he stood and sobbed into Ginny's shoulder. She and Mrs Weasley held him in a tight embrace until he was able to gain some semblance of control.

"Come on Harry it's time to go" whispered Ginny

They broke apart with Mrs Weasley pushing them on in front of her "You go ahead dears, I'll just be a moment"

Standing in the shadow of the church Harry looked back to see Mrs Weasley kneeling down and speaking to his parents, he didn't know what he was saying but he was touched that she was taking the time to speak to them. They waited for her outside the gate before moving down the main street towards his parent's house.

Passing the inn the hairs on Harry's neck began reacting again and he snapped his head around to see a tall, slender auburn haired woman staring directly at him. A breeze whipped her shoulder length hair across her face but not once did she blink or move to brush it away. He was about to say something to Ginny when she grabbed his hand

"Harry, look" her whisper was urgent and he tore himself away from his mysterious woman to look where she was pointing. Following her outstretched arm he could see the remains of his former home in front of which a huge number of flowers and gifts had been piled.

"That's new" remarked Harry in surprise

One of his escorts reached the offerings first and began inspecting them, after a few moments a few moments he had sorted out a small pile of boxes off to one side before waving Harry and the others forward to join him.

"What did you find?" asked Fournier

"Mostly chocolates laced with various love potions" said Connor indicating the boxes "What with all the stuff we're getting in the mail I figured it was something to look out for"

"In the mail? My Mail?" asked Harry he was appalled and could feel Ginny tensing with anger at the idea

Fournier nodded "The Ministry has been intercepting everything sent to you, Hermione and the Weasleys. We're checking it all before passing it on"

"But I haven't been getting any mail"

Connor and Paddy exchanged an amused smile before returning to their lookout positions. It was Fournier who spoke again "Believe me Harry you're receiving plenty, a large percentage of which is being disposed of. You may not have met the other guy on your detail Richards? He spends most of his day sorting through your mail at the Ministry. You may want to look into someone to manage that for you cos it's just piling up in a storage room and the maintenance guys have to keep magically expanding it."

"There's a storage room in the Ministry full of my mail?"

"Yeah mostly cards, letters and stuff like that, though there is an ever increasing collection of woman's undergarments" Harry blushed at the thought and quickly looked away "but as Officer Connor pointed out we have been getting contaminated foods too and..." Fournier pointed his wand at the smaller pile and a cute fluffy teddy bear levitated above it "... some of these too. Looks like a nice innocuous kids toy, which it was until someone fused it with a Devils Snare and now it does this" He looked at Connor who conjured a water balloon and levitated into the arms of the bear.

The bear sprung to life hugging the balloon. Harry couldn't see anything wrong until the ends of the bears paws started to elongate, within seconds the bear had enveloped the balloon which soon exploded from the constricting force being applied to it.

Ginny and Harry both blinked and stared silently at the bear as it returned to normal, surprisingly it was Mrs Weasley who spoke next "Arthur had a devil of a time once those things started turning up, cretins put them in muggle toy stores and sent them to muggle families with young children and Minister Thicknesse refused to allocate more resources to help out"

"I can imagine Molly, I'll just send this lot along for Richards to check out" Fournier carefully shrunk down both piles and banished them to the Ministry

Attention returned to the ruined house in front of them, Mrs Weasley and Ginny were soon enthralled by the messages left on the sign post leaving Harry to slowly work his way around the outside of the house. Weeds had overgrown the rubble that was strewn around the property making it difficult to walk. Standing atop a large pile he could see inside the gaping hole that was a second floor bedroom, not much remained in the room itself and he could see the floor had collapsed into the room below.

At the rear of the house was a small clearing bordered by solid tree line along the back, from what he had been told the property itself stretched several hundred metres into the woods. Harry could hear the soothing sound of running water coming from that direction and presumed a creak or a stream ran nearby reminding him of the Burrow. He knew he would've been happy growing up here and it saddened him that he never got the opportunity. Returning to the front yard he noticed a large number of people pouring out of the inn across down the road, some of them carrying cameras

"Crap!" he quickly gathered Ginny close to him and back away. Paddy and Connor both moved to block the entrance to the property and hold back the oncoming horde.

"Mr Potter! How does it feel to be the Saviour of the Wizarding World?"

"Where are you living? Are you in hiding?"

"Is it true you're currently dating Felicity Harlot of Puddlemere United?"

Several flashes blinded Harry before he saw Fournier running towards them, he pointed to the bracelet he forced Harry to wear "Get Molly to take hold and say 'Site One' ok?" the Auror tapped it with his wand making is glow blue

Harry nodded and followed Fournier's instructions and soon felt the tug of a portkey activating. Harry recognised 'Site One' almost straight away having spent several weeks at Shell Cottage not too long ago

"Maman Weazley? BILL!"

A door slammed open and Bill rushed out of his home, his wand out ready for action "Mum? What are you guys doing here?"

Before they had a chance to respond Fournier apparated by their side "Everyone ok? Sorry Bill we got cornered by press and had to make a quick escape"

"Ah, right then. Come inside, don't worry we're still under the Fidelius Charm no-one is going to bother us here" he said with a reassuring pat on Harry's shoulder.

"Et is good to see again 'Arry" said Fleur "and you too Ginny"

"Yeah, sorry about another sudden entrance" he returned with a shy grin

"Don't worry about et, mon ami. As long as you do not interrupt anything too important, no?" Harry felt a vivid blush rise on his cheeks as he deciphered her meaning "I always look forward to your visit" her and Ginny both giggled at his reaction

They stayed for lunch, Fleur making a quickly prepared quiche and salad for them to share. Afterwards Harry found a swinging chair on the back porch and was soon joined by Ginny. She sat next to him with her legs curled up beneath her, resting her head on his chest. The sound of the ocean on the beach below the cliffs provided a relaxing ambience as he gently rocked the chair back and forth.

"So Fleur said the last time you were here you arrived in a hurry too" it was more a question than a statement and Harry knew that Ginny was just trying to talk more about his experiences, after all that's what the aim of today was. If only he could explain the hole that opened up in his soul every time he had to repeat one of these ordeals, she wasn't trying to hurt him, he knew she just wanted him to feel better.

"We had been captured and were being held at Malfoy Manor. Dobby rescued us, he took Dean, Luna and Ollivander to safety first then came back for me, Ron and Hermione" he didn't want to give too much detail about what happened at the Manor, for one reason he wasn't ready to deal with everything that had happened there – torture and death. For another he felt part of it wasn't his story to tell; Ron and Hermione had both been there and experience the horrors, if they wanted to tell their story then that was fine "Bellatrix tried to stop us escaping but Dobby managed to get a hold of all three of us and brought us here. What we hadn't seen was Bellatrix throw a knife at us, by the time we got here it was too late"

Ginny's arms tightened around his middle as he paused in his tale. It was then that he realised he wasn't the only one hurting, he had left her behind and she had only heard bits and pieces about their experiences and while Harry a told her the whole story, friends and family of hers had gotten hurt or killed and she didn't know how or why

"He was a very brave elf, he saved our lives but in doing so Bellatrix had killed him. We dug his grave by hand and we buried him just over there" he pointed to the rock that served as his headstone, grass had grown to cover the grave and you could barely distinguish the mound anymore except for a neat row of pebbles that had been arranged around the outside

"I remember the first time I ever saw Dobby, this weird creature just appeared in my bedroom saying all this random stuff and punishing itself before disappearing downstairs, the next thing I know Aunt Petunia's dessert is splattered all over the kitchen floor and I'm getting in trouble with the Ministry"

Snickering at the memory they began exchanging anecdotes about the oddball house elf. As sad as everything was Harry couldn't help but think that there was nowhere else he would rather be right now but sitting on this seat, gently rocking with Ginny in his arms. He was mildly disappointed when Bill came out to check on them.

"So I see this is back on again" before either Harry or Ginny could respond to his comment Bill waved them down "It's alright mum mentioned it before, she and Fleur are inside cleaning up, gossiping as they do. I just came out to make sure you two weren't getting into any trouble" His tone was sincere but he couldn't keep a cheeky smile from creeping onto his lips

Harry expected Ginny's fiery temper to react poorly to the implied slur, but it appeared she took it more as a challenge and stretched back and drew Harry into intense, passionate kiss. He was taken aback by the sudden onslaught of her lips against his, her tongue demanded entry and with only a half second's thought he accepted her advance and deepened the kiss adding his own enthusiasm. Her position, stretched across his lap, was such that he had to wrap his arm around her waist in order to hold her in place. When Ginny reached up and started running her hand through his hair Harry lost track of everything that was happening around him and it wasn't until she pulled away from him that he remembered that her eldest brother was standing less than five metres away from him.

With a rather satisfied smirk Ginny looked back at Bill and asked with a voice dripping in innocence "What type of trouble would that be dear brother?"

"Behave little one, else mum will never let you out of her sight" said Bill with a roll of his eyes "Actually I came out here to talk to Harry, think you can tear yourself away from my _little_ sister for a moment"

Not wanting to push his luck Harry reluctantly nodded, with a slight moan of displeasure Ginny slid out from his embrace "I'll just go see if mum wants any help then shall I?" getting up quickly she left but not before giving Harry a quick peck on the cheek and Bill a playful, if somewhat solid, punch in the shoulder

Rubbing the impact site Bill led Harry over to the cliffs edge "Might want to get used to that type of thing Harry. One thing we've always known about Ginny was that she is a blazing hot firebrand, she puts passion into everything she does" Bills hand abruptly landed on Harry's shoulder "Just don't get too caught up in the passion. I like you a lot Harry, but she's my sister, my only sister, youngest of the family. I'm not warning you to stay away, I'm just saying…." He clapped Harry on the back with enough force to cause him to sway "Enough about that, I didn't come out here to lecture you about her. I wanted to talk to you about Gringotts, have you spoken to anyone about that?"

"I think Kingsley mentioned something but I haven't had a chance to sit down with anyone and figure it out"

Bill nodded in understanding "I just ask because as it stands both Fleur and I are on shaky ground, they won't let us back to work…"

"What? Why? You didn't do anything wrong!" exclaimed Harry in protest

"No, but look at it from their point of view; a guy, his girlfriend and his best mate, rob their bank, after staying for several weeks at the home of his brother and sister-in-law, who are both employees of the bank. It's just a little suspicious" the way Bill explained it made sense causing Harry to feel a little guilty that he hadn't entirely thought through the repercussions of what they were going to do before they broke in

"I'm really sorry, I had no idea that it would look that way. We deliberately kept you out of the loop so this wouldn't happen, guess we should have thought a little bit harder about other people's perspectives"

"It had to be done Harry, I'm not holding it against you or anything I just wanted to let you know what had happened. We're not desperate to get back to work, we've got plenty of money set aside to see us through and Fleur wants us to go visit her family on the continent for awhile"

They continued talking as they made a slow circuit of the property, they passed Connor and Paddy who were both inspecting a large stone placed near the edge of the grounds. Bill explained that it was a touchstone for the wards and then proceeded to talk Harry through the wards he had place around his house, finally offering to one day teach him how to set them. Eventually the pair wound their way back into the cottage where Mrs Weasley and Fleur were just finishing cleaning up.

"Harry dear, we should probably be going soon, we don't want to over stay our welcome"

"Non maman, et is our pleasure" assured Fleur flashing a sincere smile

The two woman embraced, Harry was glad to see that the awkwardness that the Weasley's had felt about accepting Fleur into their family had gone. He had always thought girl... woman's initial reputation was slightly unjustified knowing that having been selected as a fellow Triwizard Champion she must have been a very capable witch

"Thank you love, we appreciate you being so accepting of our sudden appearance" said Mrs Weasley breaking away from the younger woman "Now Harry was there anywhere else you wanted to go before we head home"

There were quite a few places that he was still rather hesitant to visit. Grimmauld Place he had already seen, at least from the outside. Hogwarts was on his list but he imagined it would take longer than a single afternoon to visit and he was sure he was ready for that yet "Um, maybe we could stop by Privet Drive?"

Concern flittered across both Mrs Weasley's and Ginny's faces for an instant and they exchanged a glance before Mrs Weasley chose to speak "If you're sure that's what you want to do" Harry nodded and she continued "I'll just let Fournier know so he can send his boys ahead"

They waited for a few minutes while Fournier's 'boys' check out Privet Drive before being portkeyed to the nearby park. Having spent a great deal of his summers hiding out in this park he instantly recognised his surroundings. Fournier was alert and vigilant while Mrs Weasley and Ginny were looking around in interest

"What's this?" asked Ginny pointing at the playground

"It's a jungle gym and some swings"

Both the witches looked at Harry as if he had spoken a foreign language, it was obvious they had never been to a muggle park before. Ginny was subtly kicking the various apparatus "What do they do?"

"Well nothing really" he should have been used to this kind of thing having dealt with Mr Weasley over the years, but explaining what a kids jungle gym was seemed a little weird "Kids climb on it and stuff. The swings are for swinging on"

Being the more adventurous of the pair Ginny approached the swings to examine them

"Take a seat" said Harry gesturing at the swing "it's not going to bite you or anything"

Giving a look of apprehension she gingerly sat down on the seat, Harry smirked at this unusual show of scepticism "Hang on to the chains" he gave her a gentle push and watched as a slow smile spread across her face, with each push he put in little bit more energy and soon Ginny was zooming back and forth above head height, whooping with delight

Mrs Weasley looked on, Harry could see her concern for her daughter playing on a piece of muggle equipment battle with her enjoyment of watching her having fun. Eventually Ginny came to a stop and despite her best pleading she was unable to convince her mother to have a go on the swings

"I'm quite fine and it is time we should be moving on"

They made their way into the suburban streets of Little Whinging taking the same path where Harry and Dudley had been attacked by Dementors a few years ago. Coming out onto Wisteria Walk Harry slowed as he approached the entrance to Privet Drive, he had made this journey hundreds of times before but this was the first time he was voluntarily returning to the address. Taking a firm hold of Ginny's hand they continued on until No. 4 came into view

Rubble, that's was all that was left of the once immaculate house. Large holes cratered the front yard and his Aunt's prized Hydrangeas were blackened stalks. Only the occasional piece of intact framing gave evidence that a house once stood on the site

"When?" asked Harry, too shocked to form a whole sentence. He might have loathed the building and the memories within, hated it with every fibre of his being but for sixteen years of his life he had called it home. It was more than a little disconcerting to see it destroyed

Fournier was near enough to hear and chose to answer "The day you were attacked in Diagon Alley, we think V-Voldemort had Death Eaters stationed anywhere you were likely to turn up. When he heard of his master's demise whoever was waiting here blew the place apart and took off"

With a nod of acknowledgement Harry moved slowly into the pile of debris, he wasn't sure why he just wanted to look through it "Grimmauld Place is still standing... Why didn't they destroy it?"

"I'm sure they tried but places like The Burrow and Grimmauld Place are infused with years of enchantments and protective spells, every generation of the Black family would have added their own defences. I wouldn't be surprised if the Ministry of Magic was more susceptible to magical damage than Grimmauld Place is"

The others stood watching as he moved slowly through the rubble, only Ginny stayed close by shadowing Harry's movements. He stopped occasionally to overturn pieces debris and found a few salvageable items like Dudley's discarded weight set but nothing of real interest until a bit of colour caught his eye, bending down he retrieved what turned out to be a piece of wood with child's crayon drawing of a birthday cake etched on it "my cupboard" mumbled Harry to no-one in particular

"Did you say something Harry?" asked Ginny

"Nah, just talking to myself" he said giving her a goofy grin, his grin soon faded as he caught a glimpse of woman watching him from across the road. She disappeared in an instant but he was sure it was the same woman he'd seen in Godric's Hollow earlier "We've gotta go"

A sudden sense of foreboding overcame him, she was probably a reporter and if she was here it wouldn't be long before a whole gaggle of her co-workers appeared. Stuffing the piece of wood into his jacket pocket he grabbed a hold of his girlfriend's wrist Harry dragged her towards the others

"Why? What's wrong?" demanded Ginny

"Fournier we've gotta go NOW!"

Without stopping to question Harry's motives the Auror yelled "Activation code: Home" Mrs Weasley and Ginny placed a hand each on the bracelet, Harry thought he saw a fleeting flash of red as the portkey activated but with the confusion of being sucked into oblivion and then being forcibly pushed back out again he couldn't determine if he had or if it was just one of the Weasley women's hair.

The instant they landed in the Burrow's kitchen Ginny grabbed hold of Harry "What the hell was that about?"

"There was a woman, a reporter, I saw her at Godric's Hollow and now she was at Privet Drive. I just had to get out of there before the rest of them showed up" replied Harry slightly annoyed at his own cowardice

"Well next time tell me" growled Ginny delivering a punch to Harry's chest "you scared the crap out of me and nearly tore my arm out of its bloody socket"

"Yes Harry dear, we would have appreciated you letting us know what was happening" agreed Mrs Weasley trying to smooth down her ruffled appearance. Ginny smirked at Harry until her mother rounded on her "And you watch your language young lady, just for that you can help me prepare dinner. Harry you should go talk to Fournier about what you saw"

Outside Harry found the Auror talking with his two subordinates, he was just finishing up as Harry approached. The MLE officers both nodded to him then made their way to the edge of the wards and apparated away.

"Would you mind explain what happened back there" asked Fournier

Harry spent the next few minutes explaining about the auburn haired woman and that he was sure it was the same one from Godric's Hollow. The Auror checked him for possible tracking spells but couldn't find anything.

"I don't know what to tell you Harry, I didn't see the woman but if you say you did then I believe you. She probably just took a lucky guess as to where you would go and found you at Privet Drive"

He wasn't entirely convinced that this was the case but without any other kind of evidence he had to accept the theory was probably true "Speaking of Privet Drive, would you happen to know where the Dursley's are?"

"It was a bit before my time actually. I know they went into hiding with the Order but their whereabouts was kept very secret. I'm not even sure who to ask, do you know anything more about them going into hiding?" asked Fournier

"The last I saw of them they were being escorted by Dedalus Diggle and Hestia Jones into a car and being driven away" noted Harry

"Well it's a start, I'll talk to McGonagall and Kingsley and figure it out from there" he offered

"Thanks"

* * *

By the end of the week the three youngest at the Burrow were getting restless. Between them, Charlie and Mrs Weasley they had finished repairing as much of the house as they could (George refused to let anyone into his room so nothing had been fixed in there). They had managed to track down the family ghoul who they found hiding in a nearby hollow tree stump and Mrs Weasley tried to keep them busy with household chores but they were soon running low on things to do.

Charlie was spending more and more time at the Ministry with Percy and Mr Weasley, it was obvious to everyone that Mrs Weasley was hoping that this would lead to a more permanent position, so the trio were left to keep themselves entertained which was becoming increasingly difficult.

Mrs Weasley wanted them to stay near the house and George's depressed demeanour brought everyone down despite their best efforts to cheer him up. Quidditch was out of the question because all of the brooms had been either stolen or smashed beyond repair. Harry and Ron had tried to practise duelling one afternoon but Ginny was unable to participate due to her under age magic restriction. Seeing her watching with envy had made the boys feel so guilty that despite her protests to the contrary they stopped. There was still no word from Hermione, Ron had written her a letter earlier in the week but neither Hermes nor Pigwidgeon were up to an international trip to the far side of the world.

Sleep was still not a constant thing for Harry, but his nightmares weren't as bad and people had stopped sitting vigil at the end of his bed but occasionally Ron would shake him awake. He found sleep came easier if he released some of his pent up energy by jogging in the mornings. In the afternoons he, Ginny and Ron would all go swimming followed by a walk while they dried off but by the weekend even this had lost some of its appeal. The monotony was broken when, while walking through the orchard, a message arrived from Kingsley asking both Harry and Ron to attend a meeting at the Ministry.

"What do ya reckon this is about?" asked Ron handing the parchment over to Ginny for her to read

"Gringotts probably" Harry replied settling himself against the base of a tree to bask in the sun. His girlfriend took a seat on the ground between his legs before asking "You guys aren't in trouble are you?"

"Why would we be in trouble?" said Ron as he climbed onto a low hanging branch

Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother "You did break into the place remember"

"Oh yeah, we're bank robbers" said Ron with a chuffed grin, striking a pose. Ducking quickly he scrambled for safety behind the trunk as other two began flicking pebbles at him for his antics.

"From what I've heard they're pretty angry but Kingsley thinks he can smooth it over" noted Harry trying to reassure her

"Well that's good, but while you two are off hobnobbing with the Minister what am I supposed to do?" she huffed

"You could work on breaking George out of his funk" said Harry looking over at the Weasley in question, seated upon his brothers memorial in the distance

Ron looked over as well "It's only been two weeks"

"I know, but he needs to start doing things again. I was reading in the Prophet this morning that they're going to start reselling abandoned properties in Diagon Alley, if they don't see some activity at Weasley Wizarding Wheezes by the end of the month he could lose the store" said Harry

"Worst comes to worst we could do it Harry"

"But neither of you two know the first thing about running a business" interjected Ginny

"Well no" admitted Ron "But we could start preparing the place and make it look like stuff is happening"

"Agreed, if it comes to that me and Ron will do what we can but the real priority is to get George up and about again" confirmed Harry

* * *

"Ready boys" asked Mr Weasley at breakfast the next morning putting down latest edition of the Daily Prophet. A photo of Harry escaping the press at Godric's Hollow gracing the front page "Bill is meeting us there in ten minutes so we need to get going"

Rising to follow, Harry was stopped short by Ginny who gave him a quick peck on the cheek, wishing him luck

"You too" replied Harry inclining his head towards George who was slowly pushing his eggs in circles around his plate

Joining Ron and Mr Weasley outside Harry apparated to the designated Ministry arrival point along with Richards his escort for the day. After enduring the stricter than usual rigmarole required for entry into the Ministry Richards bid them farewell "Come find me after your meeting, Arthur knows where my office is"

Bill was waiting for them in the corridor outside the Minister of Magic's office but there was no secretary to announce their presence so after knocking they proceeded inside.

Kingsley's office was a lot more cluttered than Harry expected, they found him leaning against his desk which had been pushed up against the wall and piled high with files, the back wall was lined with overflowing filing cabinets. The Minister was talking to various portraits while taking notes on a small pad; they looked to be discussing a 3D map of the United Kingdom that was projecting out of the opposing wall. Every now and then different coloured markers with text appeared on the map and a continuously scrolling piece of parchment appeared to be logging the information.

"Ah my apologies you've caught me with my second hat on, come in, come in" he said as he finished writing, with a wave of his wand causing the map to recede into the wall leaving just the scrolling parchment behind "I've yet to find a suitable replacement for the head of the Auror's department. I was hoping Robards had just gone into hiding but nobody has yet to hear from him. I'll be damned if I'm going to promote Vargus after his performance at the Lupin funeral. Dawlish and Williamson are the next highest in rank that we know of but they're busy enough as it is" with a shrug the Minister of Magic took a seat on top of his desk and gestured to the group to seat themselves in the chairs he was conjuring

"Firstly I understand that you two are currently unlicensed for apparition?" asked Kingsley

Both Harry and Ron nodded sheepishly

"Well problem solved, as long as you two tell everyone you went through the proper procedures for these you can keep them" the Minister tossed two licences at the boys "It pays to have friends in low places, it makes it much easier to get things like those. Now to the real business" Kingsley removed a large scroll from within his robes and began untying it "I have received the following letter from Marnak the Head of the Wizarding Liaison branch of the Legal Department within Gringotts Bank, bare with me – _Attention Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic - _Blah, blah, blah. Here we go – _As you are aware an egregious crime was perpetrated by members of the wizarding nation - _Blah, blah, blah – _We hereby demand the arrest of Harry James Potter, Ronald Bilius Weasley and Hermione Jean Granger and that they be held over for trial. Furthermore were require your permission to seize any and all assets held within the bank belonging to these criminals _– It goes on from there for thirteen more pages citing legal precedence but you get the gist"

"I'm gathering... well hoping really... you don't want to arrest us?" asked Harry with some trepidation

A deep chuckle briefly escape the Minister before he replied "No, Harry I would prefer not to" the relief on the two boys faces must have been visible because both Mr Weasley and Bill chuckled this time "I don't imagine I would survive in office for very long if I allowed the 'Golden Trio' to be arrested" Harry cringed at the use of the medias latest misnomer. "As I have said to you before I think the Goblins are really look for a way to save face in light of everything that you three have done. Unfortunately Hermione is unable to join us as I would have liked her input, I've asked Bill to join us because he has more idea of the inner workings of Gringotts so I'd like to hear what he has to say"

Bill began pacing the room as he spoke "Marnak is just a figure head, a favour for his cousin Riptooth the Sharp when he took over as head of the bank. These instructions are coming from higher up, probably from Riptooth himself, The Ring of Elders or someone on the High Council. My guess is Riptooth, he'll be getting a lot of pressure from those he reports to. As far as their demands are concerned this is just their opening, Goblins use a standard negotiating style - demand things above and beyond what they want with an aim to meeting in the middle, it works well against wizards as we generally fold before a typical goblin would"

"So what are they really after?" asked Ron

"Well they really don't want to have you arrested, if they did they would've just done it themselves. Like Kingsley said the Goblins want to save face so that's what they really want, as for seizing your assets it's what it sounds like; they want money"

"That's it, they want us to figure out a way for them to come out smelling like roses and a bribe to shut them up" said Harry in disbelief

Bill smirked "Well they'll call it compensation"

Coming to a quick decision Harry spoke "If its money they want I can pay, I don't know how far it'll go but I've got a bit in my trust fund still and they can have it all"

"That's a very generous offer Harry but unnecessary. With the amount of money Voldemort and his cronies poured into this place in payoffs and the like the Ministry has a fair bit of excess funds, also running this place on a skeleton staff means we're saving a pretty penny for the moment." stated Kingsley with his customary good humour "Arthur you've been awfully quiet this whole time, what do you say?"

Mr Weasley jumped at being address and after a few moments registered what the Minister had said "Ah right, sorry was just thinking a bit... It seems to me that the only way that the goblins can say they're ok with someone breaking into one of their vaults is if they can say they were in on it"

"Dad that's bloody brilliant cos they were, well one was"

"Griphook" agreed Harry relief flooding him for the first time since entering the meeting "Griphook was in on it, we can pass that off as Gringotts being involved, in a sort of anti-Voldemort operation?"

"Indeed the press will lap it up, what do you think Bill?" asked Kingsley

All eyes turned to eldest Weasley offspring as he leaned against the door frame "I don't see the Goblins turning down good publicity if you can spin it properly. It will probably need a public statement from Harry backing it up and with sufficient 'compensation' to smooth over any ruffled feathers it'll go down a treat"

"Well done gentlemen, I think that's sufficient for me to work with" announced Kingsley bringing the meeting to a close "Bill would you mind walking the boys out? I want a word with Arthur"

* * *

Bill escorted Harry and Ron down to the DMLE offices in search of Officer Richards "You guys have any idea where this guy works?" both Harry and Ron shrug their shoulders.

Walking aimlessly around the department for a few more minutes, Ron eventually has to stop a passing wizard "Hey do you know where Officer Richards desk is?"

The wizard in question laughs to himself before answering "Yeah you want 'The Dragons Cave' it's down the end there on the right" he said pointing to a long hallway, but just as Ron steps away from him the man calls out "Hey don't I know you? I've seen your picture before"

Before Ron could reply Bill grabs him and hauls him off towards 'The Dragons Cave' "Come on superstar, you can deal with your adoring public some other time"

"Did you see that Harry, he recognised me, perfect stranger knew who I was" a massive grin was plastered across Ron's face

"Yeah Ron, it's got nothing to do with the fact that your wanted poster is still hanging on the wall behind you" remarked Harry, his friends grin quickly disappearing

"Still kinda cool, you reckon they'll let me have one of those posters?"

Harry rolled his eyes as they reach the last door on the right

Officer Glen Richards

Room 302

_**The Dragons Cave**_

Knocking on the door they heard Richards call them in. Entering they discovered a room the size of a small warehouse, the majority of the space inside was occupied by an owl roost, a roaring furnace and mounds of sacks piled up to the roof. Richards was at his desk on the far side "Welcome to my humble abode"

"What is all this?" asked Ron

"This is what happens when you defeat some crazy Dark Lord and then forget to read your mail for two weeks" said Richards levitating a sack towards himself. He poured the contents out onto the ground and then using his wand began sorting parcels within "Every bit of mail you three receive comes here" he said pointing to the owls in the opposite corner "It's then my job to scan it for anything you'd probably want to keep, the rest goes on the fire" he said pointing to a furnace door behind him

"So this is all mail for us" asked Harry in disbelief "and you just burn it all"

"Yeah mate, sorry I'm not a secretary. We tried sorting in the beginning but it got too much, now I just find anything from trusted sources and then burn the rest" replied Richards with a resigned shrug "If you ever hire one send them here to give me a hand, I'd love my office back. Right let's get you lot home"


	7. Pain & Privacy

**Pain & Privacy**

**Sorry for the long wait, I had lots of trouble with this chapter trying to express what I wanted and I also got bogged down with Uni work so the story took a back seat. Hopefully I'm back into it now and you all enjoy.**

* * *

Despite the current staffing shortage at the Ministry it appeared the bureaucracy was actually able to work with some degree of efficiency. Within days of Harry & Ron's meeting with Kingsley they had been met by a witch from the ministry's public relations branch and had hammered out an acceptable account of the raid on Gringotts, including how the goblins 'assisted' in the operation. After consultation with Riptooth and the Goblin High Council the account was published a week later, in full, on the front page of the Daily Prophet under the heading: 'Gringotts Goblins Defy Darklord'

As the Weasleys sat down for breakfast the first edition hit the stands, simultaneously two owls arrived at the Burrow for both Ron and Harry; it was the only mail they had received since disappearing from Bill & Fleur's wedding. The first owl carried letters from Gringotts and the Ministry informing them that the _Golden Trio_ were no longer considered _persona non grata_ by the bank, the second held a copy of the Prophet which was quickly snatched up by the others at the table.

It was with a hidden sense of relief that Harry then endured the taunts of Charlie who was mockingly extolling his virtues as he read through the article "It was through these actions that _debonair bachelor_ Harry Potter was able to go on to defeat 'He who must not be named' " Mr Weasley, Ron and even Ginny were chuckling as the dragon keeper continued "Wait it gets better… 'and it was then that heroic _Hunky Harry_, as he is known by some of his schoolmates..." this was greeted by a gale of laughter

"Oh, well at least it's a nice nickname this time Harry dear" whispered Mrs Weasley while the others carried on. Harry just wanted the ground to open up and swallow him by this point, his best friend however seem to take an inordinate amount of glee at this episode "Ahahaha, who'd they interview Romilda Vane?" Ron then proceeded to put on his best girly impersonation "Oh we all call him _Hunky Harry_ all the time cos he's just such the _bestest_"

With the entire table laughing Harry tried to snap back but his retort of "Shut it _Won Won_" was lost when the table erupted in front of him.

_A Hogwarts corridor exploding, Death Eaters invading the Ministry, Snatchers surrounding them_

"YOU'VE FORGOTTEN HIM HAVEN'T YOU? IT'S BARELY BEEN A WEEK AND YOU'RE ALREADY MOVING ON!"

Without realising he was acting Harry was in motion, in one fluid moment he had dived to the floor, taking Ginny with him, he rolled over and sent a '_reducto_' curse in the general direction of the incoming threat. It was a moment before Harry was able to process what his senses were telling him; the objects that had erupted from the table were still in the process of settling, the Weasleys were now all standing and shouting, and a fuming George - who hadn't been in the room before - was standing inside the doorway, his head centimetres away from where Harry's curse had punched a smoking hole through the wall.

Like a maddened bull an alarmed Fournier burst into the room, wand drawn, attracting everyone's attention. Before anyone had realised it George had dashed out the open door. Mr Weasley, Ron and Charlie quickly followed him as he disappeared into the nearby woods. With a wave of his wand Fournier hastily set the table to rights before hurrying back outside.

Harry hadn't notice any of this, his heart and mind were racing; he had almost done it again, lost control and nearly hurt someone close to him.

_George's body collapsing, shiny red blood splattered across his chest and face, a smear following his body's progress as it slowly slid down the wall_

A gentle shake follow by the voice of his girlfriend brought Harry's attention back to his surroundings "Oi, I'm asking you if you're ok" asked Ginny again. Her body, pale with shock, was still partially wedged under his own.

Disorientated Harry shifted off her and managed to nod in reply, he was slowly taking in what had happened, his body just had to wait for his mind to catch up

"You had another flashback?" asked Ginny as she extended her hand to give him lift up

"Yeah" He could barely remember the fleeting image now but he knew what had happened, so long had he spent on the run, looking over his shoulder, that now his mind was paranoid; continuously looking for potential threats

"You wanna talk about it?" asked Ginny stroking his check, he could feel her nails scratching across his stubble, a fairly recent addition to his features, and he took comfort in the intimate contact he had never really been able to have before

"Later" a look of concern flashed briefly "Seriously Gin, but I think your mum needs help"

Behind Ginny's shoulder Harry could see Mrs Weasley fussing in the kitchen trying to act as if nothing had happened. It was obvious however, from the way she was violently banishing dishes towards the sink, that she was deeply upset. Acquiescing Ginny moved towards the kitchen and tried to approach her mother. She hovered for a moment unsure of how to proceed but the problem was solved for her when her mother exploded "I'M FINE GINEVRA, It's not my fault he... Blast it all!" she cried when she accidentally smashed one of her plates against the wall "GET OUT! OUT OF THE WAY!"

She beat a hasty retreat and joined Harry in the doorway, they watched Mrs Weasley's pain being directed towards what was progressively becoming a pile of pulverised vegetables

"What do we do?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders, he hated seeing his adopted family hurting like this "I don't know Gin, I'm not much for dealing with this kind of stuff, and you're the girl"

"Why is it you and my brother only remember that fact when it's convenient?" Harry received a slug in the shoulder before Ginny continued "I wish Hermione was here, she'd know what to do. I'll try and talk to her again but I think we'll need help." They both took quick glances in Mrs Weasley's direction, tears were running down her cheeks as she moved mechanically around her kitchen "Why don't you floo Mrs Tonks? She's going through this as well and she might be a better choice to help mum"

While Ginny tried to calm her mother down Harry placed the floo call, still not used to the disorientating effects of the floo system he spent a few moments staring into a foreign kitchen, getting his head straight. It was similar to the way he remembered from the few glimpses he had seen the first time he had been here. The walls and cabinets had all been decorated in an array of soft blues, yellows and pinks the gaiety of which subtly reminded Harry of Nymphadora. Harry thought he could hear voices faintly coming from another room and shouted out "Mrs Tonks?"

He was promptly met with a nearby yelp, followed by the thud of something solid hitting the floor, and the entertained gurgle of an infant "Harry!" scorned the startled witch coming into view wiping a milk splatter from her apron, it turned out she hadn't been in another room but just out of sight, her voice muffled by the floo fire "You've probably scared half a decade off me." She looked more worn and tired than the last time he had seen her, the lines on her face had deepened and there was a streak of grey hair that hadn't been there before.

"Sorry Mrs Tonks, I'm not very good at using the floo system"

"Oh don't worry about it" she said with a roll of her eyes "I should've had a floo alarm charm cast years ago but we never got around to it" Harry was slowly becoming used to seeing the look of nostalgia in the magical community but it still saddened him to see it across Mrs Tonk's features. As quickly as the look appeared it was replaced by a stoic reserve "I'm not going to tell you again young man, call me Andromeda" disappearing from sight she returned carrying her grandson and promptly propped him up in front of the fireplace "Teddy say hello to _Uncle_ Harry" the infant gurgled and flapped his arms about in greeting to this familiar face

"Hello Teddy" replied Harry with a delighted smile, warmth of affection filled his heart.

"Now what brings you to my kitchen?"

"Ah... um... well you see it's Mrs Weasley, George has just had this big blow out and done a runner. Ron, Charlie and Mr Weasley have gone after him but Mrs Weasley is pretty upset, she won't talk to us and we don't know what to do, I mean Ginny's with her now but we were hoping you might be able to talk to her?"

"Dear Molly, that poor woman, yes of course I'll come straight through"

"Thanks, ah... Andromeda" Harry quickly backed out of the flames, he had just finished dusting off the soot when Andromeda and Teddy emerged from the fireplace

"Would you and Ginny mind watching Teddy?" a small explosion rumbled from behind the closed kitchen door "This could take awhile" Harry must have had an uncertain look upon his face because the witch decided to reassure him "Don't worry, you'll be fine. At his age he sleeps a lot and everything is pretty much automatic, just watch what he puts in his mouth and if he cries he either needs to eat, sleep, burp or have his nappy changed. Everything you need is in the bag" With a smile Andromeda promptly draped the bag over Harry's shoulder before handing him the infant. She checked the baby was properly supported, gave him a quick dust and a kiss before heading over to slip into the kitchen.

Ginny returned from her vigil at the door and cooed at the bundle in Harry's arms "So what do we do now? As harsh as this sound's I don't really want to listen as mum has a breakdown"

"Want to go outside?" suggested Harry "We'll stay close to the house just in case"

"Yeah alright and we can intercept Dad when he returns and let him know what's happening"

They picked a spot near the pond to enjoy the early morning sun and played with Harry's godson. While they were entertaining the infant Harry was mindful of the fact the Ginny obviously wanted to talk about something, he knew better than to try and get her to speak about it before she was ready so he waited. It was nearly an hour before Ginny chose to speak on what she was thinking

"Do you think George is right?" she asked tentatively "I mean are we moving on too quickly? He's obviously still distraught about Fred, but everybody else seems to have gone back to their normal routine – Dad and Percy are back with the ministry, Charlie is spending time there too. Mum's doddering around the house and we spent all yesterday goofing off in the orchard. This morning I didn't even think about Fred until George went off" a tear rolled down her cheek and Harry felt his heart wrench as he watched her anguish

Pulling his girlfriend into a tight embrace he tried to comfort her "It's how we cope Gin. Your Dad is working hard so he doesn't have to think about it but you've seen him, when he comes home as soon as he comes through the wards, he goes over to Fred's seat. I think the rest of us too are just trying to take comfort in the familiar."

Teddy, picking up on the morose atmosphere, began to whimper so Harry picked him up and held him between the two of them. He enchanted a few blades of grass to flutter about like butterflies and set them to hover in front of them. Teddy quietened down and except for the occasional kick or flailing arm, stayed still, enthralled by the moving objects. Satisfied that the infant was distracted Harry continued "When Sirius was killed I spent all day, every day, alone, thinking about him, but even without anything to distract me by the time Dumbledore came to pick me up I was only consciously thinking of him a few times a day. I don't believe Sirius, Dumbledore, Fred or any of the others would want us to spend our lives pining over them." Ginny was in a full flood of tears by now and gripping onto Harry tightly.

While Ginny was openly expressing her emotions it only served to remind Harry that he wasn't done dealing with his. He was still haunted by memories; nightmares, flashbacks and dark fantasies still visited him, though they weren't as common as they had been just a week ago, they were still a regular reminder of his experiences.

For what seemed like an age they stayed there, wrapped in each other's embrace, the quiet chorus of early morning birds and the gentle ripple of the pond providing a subtle soundtrack to soothe their anxiety. Eventually Ginny pulled back to speak "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get all weepy on you and Teddy must be getting really confused"

Aware that the infant had hardly moved in the past few minutes Harry replied "Nah, I think Teddy's out of it for the time being" They looked down on the sleeping form that was clutching to Harry's chest "I think he likes the warmth of being pressed between us"

"He's awfully cute, even with the bright blue hair he's sporting today" noted Ginny surreptitiously drying her eyes

"Yeah, I want a tonne of these" said Harry in agreement

Snapping her head around Ginny held up he hand "Hold up, define 'a tonne' "

Seeing an opportunity to escape away from their grief Harry replied "I dunno, five or ten" a cheeky grin spreading across his features

"Five or Ten!" Exclaimed the redhead in shock "Babies! If you think I'm pushing out ten!"

"Ssshhh" Harry desperately tried to hush her while suppressing his own mirth, afraid of waking up Teddy, but the laughter inside him was slowly leaking out

"And what exactly are you giggling at" snapped Ginny

"Nothing, nothing really... I'm just really happy that both of us think that we have a future together"

Ginny's expression almost instantly fell into a soppy smile, Harry used his free hand to pull her to him and, despite the baby lying in his other arm, into what quickly became a passionate kiss

"Oi!" the familiar voice of Charlie rang out from nearby "enough of that!"

Springing apart Harry looked over to see Ron and his brother emerging from the trees. The couple quickly joined them as they made their way back to the house

"Any luck with George?" asked Ginny

Ron shrugged as Charlie replied "Yeah we found him near that thicket that he and Fred used to hide in when they got into trouble. Dad's with him now, asked us to leave him to it"

"I hope he can get through to him, I tried the other day while you guys were at the ministry but he barely responded to me"

Charlie stroked a calloused finger along Teddy's cheek "I take it by the presence of this blue haired monster that Andromeda is around"

"Yeah" confirmed Harry "You're mum needed someone to talk to. Me and Gin were way out of our depth so we called in reinforcements; she's in with her now"

"And you thought you'd take advantage of being unsupervised to play tonsil hockey with my kid sister" observed Charlie

Harry was unsure if the menace that seemed to accompany this statement was legitimate or not, before he had a chance to interpret it Ginny had chimed in "Harry was just informing me that he wants _ten_ children"

"What?" barked Charlie "and you thought you'd just get started right away?"

"Um no, I was just showing Harry what he'd be missing out on if we had all those rug rats crawling around

"But ten's the perfect number" moaned Ron

The elder Weasley was now completely baffled "What are you two on about? And why ten?"

"Well" said Ron "You need at least ten to make a Quidditch team"

"Quidditch?"

"Me and Harry worked this out in fourth year, ten each – three chasers, two beaters, a keeper, a seeker and three reserves"

"We agreed we would source a referee from elsewhere so they'd be impartial" confirmed Harry adjusting Teddy into a more comfortable position

"Well I'm glad you've covered that detail" murmured Charlie

"Does Hermione know about this plan?" enquired Ginny

Ron squirmed as he struggle to answer "Um, ah, well that's not exactly… what I mean to say is we haven't… you know…"

"It's alright little bro" tempered Charlie "speaking of the 'bookworm' any word?"

"Nah not yet, I wrote her a couple of letters but all our mail is still getting redirected to the Ministry. Fournier said they've had a couple of reports from the Obliviator that's with her, just run of the mill updates and stuff"

"Alright kiddies I've gotta go, a friend of mine thinks he's finally located the dragon you liberated from Gringotts. If you want my advice I'd say let Andromeda spend the day with mum and you guys can take care of this fella" Charlie gave Teddy a final chin scratch "I'll see you lot for dinner"

Harry spent the rest of the day with his girlfriend and best mate in the orchard, catering to the needs of an attention loving infant. As the sun approached its zenith Mr Weasley had appeared with George in tow, the two of them vanished into the kitchen where Mrs Weasley and Andromeda where still talking. While Mr Weasley had reappeared shortly afterwards heading for work the other three had remained behind a closed door all day. Five hours had since passed and with the slow setting of the sun it was becoming too cold for Teddy to be outside. Entering into the Burrow's comfortable living room they group was greeted by the squeak of an opening door.

A hesitant George stuck his head out from the kitchen "Wondering when you lot were gonna brave coming back inside" a half hearted smile graced his features "I just wanted to say I'm sorry, I over reacted a bit this morning"

"A bit!" blurted Ron before Harry jabbed him and responded "George it's alright, we understand and I'm sorry I reacted the way I did, I'm just a little…"

"… Jumpy?" Suggested George

Ginny ran forward and wrapped her older brother in a hug "We'll never forget him and we'll never stopped loving him, I promise."

"Thanks Ginny" replied George returning her embrace

The door to the kitchen opened once again this time by Mrs Weasley smiled at the scene before her "Arthur has come through the floo, as soon as he's cleaned up dinner will be ready"

* * *

The meal that night was a subdued affair not even the news that both Percy and Mr Weasley had been given new positions within the Ministry had livened things up. Mr Weasley had been made the head of the new Department of Muggle Relations which was being created to cover all things muggle and incorporated not only his previous department but others such as the Department of Muggle Worthy Excuses.

Percy who had joined them for dinner was explaining that he would be working in this new department too; he had been appointed as a Liaison Officer with the MLE and was leading the muggle-born division of the Task Force for the Identification and Location of Missing Wizards (TF-ILMW). Much to everyone's relief he didn't go into the ins and outs of what his new job entailed as the title was pretty self-explanatory, he did however spend most of dinner complaining about his new assistant, a woman named Audrey, who in his opinion appeared immensely under qualified – Not that anyone was really listening.

Harry was startled out of his stupor by a knock at the door, being the closest he arose to answer it knowing that whoever they were they had been allowed through the wards and Fournier's people. Opening the door he discovered his other best friend and two people he vaguely recalled from the platform 9 ¾ as her parents

"Hi Harry" greeted Hermione with a wan smile, they exchange a quick embrace but something wasn't right, there was a touch of nervousness to it "Could you ask Mr Weasley if we could speak with him… alone Harry, not with the others" she asked quietly as she let go

"Yeah sure, everything alright?" This was not the happy reunion he had been thinking of

"Fine, just tired is all"

Remembering that her parents were there too Harry fetched Mr Weasley, in what was quickly becoming a theme of the day Harry stayed in the kitchen to avoid overhearing what they obviously wanted to be a private conversation. It was a few minutes before Mr Weasley could be heard returning "Come along this way, Molly'll be pleased as pumpkin juice to see you" entering into the door way Mr Weasley call to his wife "Molly dear, we'll be having guests for a few…" the rest of his sentence was cut off as both Ron and Ginny leapt from their seats

"Hermione!" they both shouted in tandem, racing each other to her, this time she returned both their hugs with a lot more feeling

"You three, why don't you take Hermione and get her settled into Ginny's room instead of standing there and blocking the doorway" ordered Mrs Weasley

Needing no second bidding they grabbed Hermione's belongings and quickly rushed her upstairs to find out about her trip.

"Come on tell us what happened, start from the beginning… you walked out the door and… go!" cued Ginny dropping Hermione's things on the spare bed before bouncing on to her own, Harry sat down next to her as Ron made himself comfortable next to Hermione

"Well it's not a very exciting story…" warned Hermione

"Good we're over exciting stories, we want dull, boring even – nice and safe" replied Ginny with smirk before poking her tongue out at her friend

"So Mr Manasseh, the Obliviator, he took me to the Ministry…"

It took Hermione over an hour to explain her trip, initially she and Mr Manasseh spent a lot of time just waiting for information. Eventually they confirmed that a Wendell and Monica Wilkins had arrived in the country and established permanent residency. They were believed to be living somewhere in Sydney, a city of over three million inhabitants on Australia's east coast.

The pair interviewed every Dr Wilkins in the city (dentist or not) but they still had no idea where her parents could be, Hermione had all but given up hope when the break came. An assistant of one of the dentists they were reinterviewing suggested trying the mobile companies. These companies administer health services, including dental programs, to the rural and aboriginal communities present throughout the country.

Within hours they had information on a Dr Wilkins working out of a mobile unit based in Perth, Western Australia. Using a portkey Mr Manasseh acquired from the Australian Ministry they travelled the more than three thousand kilometres to the other side of the country. According to Hermione this was when the hard part began…

"We found them easily enough, they were living in a pleasant little bungalow on the outskirts of the city, and it looked very nice. White picket fence, weatherboard with a little porch out the front, the property was dotted with gum trees. Mr Manasseh had us watch the house for two days before he would commit to doing anything" Hermione seemed distant as she appeared to recall the events "They looked happy... we figured out dad had just gotten back from a mobile run, mum was spending most of her day tending her freshly planted garden or reading books out on the porch, they even had a barbecue that night with some of their neighbours" a faint smile fluttered across her lips but it was the moisture in his friends eyes that caught Harry's attention. This was supposed to have been a happy reunion but then why did Hermione look so sad?

"In the morning Mr Manasseh suggested we see if they recognised me, I made my way to their front door and, I was supposed to pretend to be lost and then ask for directions, but when dad opened the door I just froze. He was looking at me… and… nothing, not even a hint" she attempted to wipe away the tears that were now on her cheeks but Ron beat her to it using his sleeve to dry them

"It was to be expected Hermione" offered Ginny

"I know that's what Mr Manasseh said but I was still hoping, you know, maybe that I hadn't done it properly…"

"You're too good a witch to make a mistake like that" tempered Harry

She gave him a half warm smile but continued to appear distant. Harry noticed the she was subconsciously rubbing spot near her neck that he knew housed the scars given to her by Bellatrix Lestrange, occasionally during their brief stay at Shell Cottage he had caught a glimpse of the scarring but he had never seen the full extent of the damage the deranged witch had done to his friend. It was during that time that he had first seen Hermione absent mindedly touch that area when deep in thought, he and Ron soon came to recognise it to mean she was thinking on something that troubled her.

He had heard from Ron and Ginny, that when Madam Pomfrey had given Hermione a once over after the Hogwarts Battle, the matronly witch had offered to magically reduce the scarring she had found but Hermione had steadfastly refused. He wasn't the only one who had noticed the movement, he and Ron shared a concerned look, and they were distracted from taking any action when Hermione began to speak again

"Anyway I just ran away from the door... left him standing there. Later that afternoon Mr Manasseh and I went back, he pretended to be a lawyer and asked if we could come inside to speak" It was obvious to Harry that Hermione was struggling but she was taking strength from Ron's embrace and continued to persevere with her story "Mum was there too and we all sat in the lounge, it was surreal here we were the Grangers from London sitting in the living room of an old bungalow owned by the Wilkins in Perth, Australia. I don't remember exactly what Mr Manasseh said to start it all, I was too distracted, but he told them that I was their daughter… ... dad didn't believe it... but mum… mum must have seen a similarity or something…"

"She recognised you?" asked Ginny with anticipation

"No worse, she recognised dad... or some of dad at least in me" replied Hermione with a voice void of emotion, she was just talking on auto pilot now "she started yelling at dad, accusing him of having an affair, it was horrible they were both yelling… in the end Mr Manasseh had to stun them both… he then went to work on dad, trying to break the block I put on them and find the true memories… it took him hours and the whole time dad was screaming, he was in agony... it was like he was being tortured, it was so bad I had to put up silencing charms, repelling charms, notice me not charms around the house… but I could still hear the screams… and it was all because of me…"

"'Mione you don't have to keep going, if you want to stop…" suggested Ron

"No" some of her resolve seemed to be returning "No, I want to… I need to tell you what it was like, I did this… … It was nearly morning before Mr Manasseh stopped, I had been waiting in the kitchen when the sound died down and he called me in. He was feeding a potion to dad, maybe a pain reliever I'm not sure, but dad stopped drinking and looked at me… it was just for a moment but I knew he recognised me, at least a little bit. Apparently that was enough for Mr Manasseh because he gave dad a sleeping draught then moved on to my mother… it was faster this time, less screaming… Mr Manasseh explained that once he had found the block in my father that he knew what he was looking for in mum…"

Hermione let out a shuddering breath before continuing "… when I came into the room she was demanding to know who Mr Manasseh was, but when she saw me she just stopped 'I know you' she said… it was such a relief but it was only for a second too and then that look of confusion returned… he put her into an induced sleep too, Mr Manasseh said that it was to help their minds recover, but when they woke up they still didn't recognise me... not really... it wasn't until the next day that one of them remembered something that I hadn't told them... my hair was a little bit ratty and mum walked past and lifted a few strands, she absent mindedly commented about me having the cutest curls as a little girl..."

As sense of sad nostalgia hung in the air as Hermione mindlessly curled her frazzled locks around a finger. A comforting hand from Ginny broke the witch from her daze "...Sorry... when they started remembering more they began asking questions. I had to talk them through everything; the fact that I was their daughter, that I'm a witch, that there was a war and that... I was the one who did this to them... in the end my father was very angry, he had lost nearly a year of his life because of this and then endured six hours of what I can only imagine as the worst kind of hell"

"But couldn't Mr Manasseh do something about that?" asked Ron "I mean he's an Obliviator couldn't he have just removed that memory"

"No Ron he couldn't" she rebuked, an edge to her voice "I asked, he made it clear that if he removed that memory then it would be the same as putting the original memory block in place; they would forget it all again."

"Eventually it was time for us to leave, Mr Manasseh said that he had done all that he could do and that the rest would just come back over time, mum and dad were still a bit disconcerted but they agreed to come back to England. We packed up my parent's house and caught a portkey back to the Australian Ministry in Canberra, where we then caught an international portkey back to our Ministry. The second we arrived back Mr Manasseh bid us farewell leaving us alone to find our way..."

"He what?" complained Ron "He just up and left you?"

"Well he did say his job was to find my parents, restore their memories and return them to England. Really he had done what he had been asked to do but dad really wasn't pleased, we were stuck at the Ministry with no money, no transport and... It took us awhile to realise it but nowhere to go... I tried using one of the Ministry floos but as I wasn't a Ministry employee the guard wouldn't let me. Eventually it dawned on me that the only transport option open to me was to apparate, which I know apparating muggles isn't strictly legal..."

"We've created a monster" chirped Ginny

"... Yes well, the only place I could think of was the Burrow so I brought them here" concluded Hermione

"It's alright 'Mione you made the right decision" confirmed Ron

"Yeah mum and dad will always take in strays" agreed Ginny giving Harry a cheeky grin

Even though it was said in jest Harry still felt an enormous warmth and a sense of gratitude for everything the Weasleys had done for him "Speaking of them we should probably go and rescue yours Hermione, Mr Weasley tends to get a bit excitable around muggles"

The group made to move towards the door but Hermione pulled Harry to one side, she waited for the other two to clear the room before speaking "Look Harry there's something I didn't mention before"

A sudden sense of foreboding lodged itself in the pit of Harry's stomach "Ok"

"When I explained what has been happening these last few years dad started getting angry, I think it's mostly aimed at me but he seemed to level a lot of his frustration at you Harry"

"I see" he felt like someone had just pulled the rug out from under him. He knew that there would be people out there who blamed him for what had happen as much as Voldemort but he wasn't prepared for it to be someone so close to home.

"Look Harry, they're just scared and getting bombarded with all this information at once, they have to learn to trust my judgement again... but until they do dad's asked me to not associate with you..." Harry was about to protest but Hermione over road him "... listen, I told him in no uncertain terms that I would not be giving up my friendship with you, your friendship is far too valuable to me. In saying that I don't want to rub it in his face either so if I seem a bit distant - know that I'm just trying to keep the peace"

Understanding where Hermione was coming from Harry felt no judgement on her decision but it still hurt. He was startled from his introspection when he was suddenly embraced by his long time friend. "Oh Harry, I love you like a brother and I will always be there for you"

Emerging from their hug the two friends travelled downstairs to the living room

"... it's absolutely not a problem at all Percy lives in an apartment in London, so you can stay in his room for as long as you like" declared Mrs Weasley

"Thank you ma'am, I don't know how we'll repay you for your hospitality, I'm sure an equitable board can be arranged once..." began Mr Granger but he was cut off by Mr Weasley "Nonsense, Hermione is family to us meaning you're part of this family, there will always be a roof available for you, free of charge"

No one doubted the sincerity of the Weasleys offer and Harry was touched to be witness to the event. He was glad that the Grangers were going to land on their feet after all that they had been through, unfortunately as soon as Hermione's parents noticed his presence the atmosphere in the room because uncomfortably cool.

"Mum, dad, you remember Harry" introduced Hermione with some trepidation "You've met him before on the train platform"

"If you say so dear" dismissed her father "If you'll excuse us, my wife and I have been travelling for a long time and we would like to take advantage of the bed you offered us earlier"

"Certainly, certainly. Ron show Derrick and Meredith to Percy's old room" directed Mr Weasley

It became painfully obvious that Hermione had somewhat understated her father's grudge against Harry as the man all but ignored him and came dangerously close to shouldering into him on his way past. Both Hermione and Harry could only look on as her parents left the room without saying another word.

"It'll be alright" said Hermione, as they disappeared up the steps "they'll come around; they're just a bit upset at the moment"

"I hope you're right" commented Harry, in reality he felt a bit dubious at the idea

* * *

By the end of the week it was obvious that Hermione's father was not likely to come around any time soon. The situation had become so uncomfortable that Harry had chosen to spend his mornings outside rather than endure the awkward silence inside. At Paddy's suggestion and out of share boredom he had decided to run property's boundary one morning, Harry found it so refreshing it soon became a regular occurrence. It harkened him back to the days when Oliver Wood would run he and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team ragged during practice, the exercise was blissfully mind numbing, temporarily taking him away from his troubles.

One morning he returned from his morning exertions to find Mrs Weasley and Kreacher had been busy once again producing bacon, eggs, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and black pudding. The Grangers had yet to join the table so Harry was enjoying a relaxing meal without having to worry about them, he was also taking the opportunity to try and develop a new skill.

Last night he had once again been tortured in his dreams with the memory of the damage he had almost done. Although the dreams had disturbed him it had suddenly occurred to Harry that twice now he had performed magic instinctively, once when Ginny had surprised him and again when George had done the same. It wasn't until halfway through his circuit this morning that he realised that he hadn't used a wand on either occasion; he was taken up with a sudden determination to explore this phenomenon.

During breakfast he focussed with all his might and tried to surreptitiously levitate a salt shaker on the opposite side of the table, next to Ron, who was distracted by the animated conversation he was having with Charlie about the Cannon's prospects when the Quidditch Leagues restart. For a full minute he had concentrated on the shaker before he noticed movement, suddenly the shaker was rising into the air, the cap unscrewing... but something was wrong, Harry wasn't doing this, he looked up to see a smirking George with his wand out.

"I don't know what you were trying to do Harry, but I felt the opportunity was worth taking advantage of" said the ear-less Weasley with a smile

Before Harry could interpret what George had meant he was distracted by a gagging sound, followed by a spray of food bits and an indignant gurgle "GARG!" cried Ron. George had emptied the entire shaker of salt on to Ron's plate and his younger brother had proceeded to sightlessly shovel several mouthfuls of food into his mouth before registering that something was wrong with his food. "Dammit George" cried Ron once he had spat out the remainder of what was in his mouth, but his cry was drowned out by the laughter that had erupted from the rest of the table.

While everyone was laughing Harry noticed George out of the corner of his eye. He wasn't laughing but a dry smile had crossed his features. It was obvious that Fred's death was still deeply affecting him and that while his pranking, fun-loving personality still existed underneath; it was buried beneath a layer of moroseness.

As breakfast was winding down the Grangers finally made their appearance, Harry chose this opportunity to make good his escape along with Ginny and Ron – Hermione was spending the day with her parents looking at houses while the three friends were going to attempt to visit Diagon Alley once again. The trio, accompanied by Fournier and Paddy, apparated into the empty space behind Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes.

"Wow" said Harry seeing the store up close for the first time in over a month "This place took a beating"

When he, Ginny and Hermione had visited the Alley earlier they had only given the store a cursory look, they noted that it had been closed and boarded up but not much more. Closer inspection revealed every square centimetre of the walls pitted with craters and scorch marks, the Death Eaters and their supporters had bombarded the outside the building. It appeared that all the structural charms had held and according to Fournier all the protective enchantments George had described to him were still in place. The twins shop had clearly not been a high priority target of the Voldemort era Ministry as official curse breakers hadn't been brought in to break into the building.

"Let's get inside before we attract any attention" suggested Ron

Except for a layer of dust coating everything inside of the store appeared to be in order. Ginny reported finding a number of cauldrons in the basement that had been boiled dry, George and Fred had obviously left in a hurry.

"There's plenty of stock on the shelves" noted Ron giving the store an appraising look "but not much in the back room, we're going to need George back soon, he's the only one who knows how to make all this stuff"

All three of them shared a silent look of agreement, they could hire as many employees as they liked but a company like this needed inspiration, you couldn't hire someone to provide that. If Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes was to ever reopen George Weasley would have to be at the helm.

"I'll take outside" volunteered Ron "You two can handle in here and remember Paddy's keeping an eye on you, so no funny business"

Ron and had become chummy with Paddy when he discovered the agent was a diehard Quidditch fan, unfortunately Paddy was a Tutshill Tornadoes supporter which had provided the kindling for many of their heated debates.

"What about the flat upstairs?" asked Ginny

Three sets of eyes flicked to a lurid orange door at the top of a metal framed spiral staircase

"Leave it... that's George's bridge to cross" stated Ron with resolve then headed outside

For the next hour the trio worked diligently. Ron and Paddy did their best to repair the building's facade, Ginny wasn't able to use magic so she organised things for Harry who was getting plenty of practise performing '_evanesco_'. Eventually they had done as much as they could, Ron placed a large "Reopening Soon" sign on the front door and they prepared to go out into the Alley

As they made to leave Fournier stopped them "Harry, we agreed to this little outing under certain conditions..."

"Yeah" sighed Harry reaching inside the robes he had borrowed from Ron, he pulled out the fluid -like cloak he had inherited from his father and disappeared beneath it. He couldn't decide if he was happy about this or not, on the one hand he hated the idea of having to hide while in public, on the other he felt safer and enjoyed a certain amount of freedom under the cloak. Harry followed Ginny and her brother out into the Alley, Fournier resurrected the wards & protective enchantments on the property and with Paddy leading the way moved into the crowds.

The group visited Gringotts bank to withdraw money, the goblins never asked Harry to remove his cloak, they acted as if he wasn't there, but they weren't surprised when once out of the foyer he removed the cloak revealing himself. He got the distinct impression that they had always known he was there and were respecting his anonymity.

With his purse sufficiently topped up Harry, who had no worldly possessions, led the others around as he bought supplies including a number of robes from Madam Malkin's, a travelling trunk and some stationary. The ability to use magic really came in useful here; being able to make the bags pea sized and feather-light enabled Harry to carry everything he bought effortlessly. It was as he was leaving Practical Parchments that the screeches and carrying on at the Eeylops Owl Emporium attracted his attention. He had lost his first owl, Hedwig, nearly nine months ago and while he knew he would have to replace her eventually he still felt her loss keenly.

Unable to see cloaked Harry slow down as he contemplated their next destination Ginny accidently walked into him "Urgh... Merlin Harry a little warn..." she trailed off a bit before asking "Everything ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine" he turned slightly and could see Ginny peering up at him unconvinced, she glanced around quickly settling her gaze on the Emporium. "Do you want to have a looked around inside? You don't have to buy anything"

Before Harry could reply Ron interrupted "Hey guys Paddy wants to know where we're heading to next?"

"We were just discussing that" replied Ginny, she looked up at him again "Do you want to go in?" she asked gesturing to the store

"Oh good idea" commented Ron "maybe you can get a new owl Harry? Ouch!"

Ginny had landed a sharp elbow to her brother "Perhaps he doesn't want to just yet"

"Alright I'm just saying, he can borrow Pig whenever he needs, but he may not always be available and it's not like Harry's able to stroll into a post office, he can barely walk down the street."

"He's got a point, like I said you don't have to buy an owl if you don't want to"

Conceding to their logic Harry agreed to look around. The Emporium was large and dimly lit, the walls were covered floor to ceiling in perches with every breed of owl imaginable present. The birds were free to fly around and the roof was obscured by a confused jumble of owls. A giant regal looking owl standing stoically in the midst of the chaos caught all of their attention.

"How cool is this one Harry, it's massive!" cried Ron

"Ah, excellent taste young man" proclaimed the shop keeper rushing to their side. Harry manoeuvred himself around so that Ron was between him and the man, leaving Ginny free to block anyone from accidently walking into him. "She is a European Eagle Owl, I import them from the continent, and this is one of our finest examples"

"Ask him what they're like" whispered Harry from beneath his cloak

"What are they like, you know behaviour and stuff?" repeated Ron

"Well the Eagle Owl is an apex predator, dwarfing those around it. One of the benefits of this type of bird is your mail is guaranteed to always get through, nothing but a wizards interference could stop it"

"Cool" commented Ron with a slightly awed expression

Harry was about to ask after price when a startled yelp made him turn. Behind him he discovered a mildly alarmed Ginny with midsized owl precariously perched upon her shoulder "He just came out the crowd up there" she gestured to the cloud of birds above them

"I'm so sorry miss! shoo, scat!" cried the shop keeper trying to dislodge the bird but his action only seemed to annoy the bird which clung on harder and snapped its beak in retaliation to the man's actions "Gryffindor's Ghost I'm sorry, this is Strix, he was given to us a year ago because his owners didn't want him and he's been harassing my customers ever since"

Strix was a stocky, medium sized Tawny Owl, he was covered in a motley collection of white, brown & grey flecked feathers and his dark piercing eyes continuously moved about often flicking from person to person. Harry got the impression that the animal was extremely nervous. Gingerly Ginny reached her hand up towards the owl, the birds eyes narrowed onto the approaching target, before Harry could give her warning Strix acted - gently butting its head against the hand "Oh he's friendly" chimed Ginny

"She's lucky" muttered the shop keeper "something like that would've cost me a finger"

The owl meanwhile was busy ingratiating itself to the witch it was perched upon by softly hooting and indulging in the scratches she was offering. The bird appeared to love the attention and if it wasn't for the birds continually searching eyes it could've been mistaken for being blissfully unaware, but the owl was very alert and more than once Harry thought he saw the animal looking directly at him.

"What's wrong with him that made the owners want to get rid of him?" asked Ginny

"Nothing really, I mean he's a little territorial from what I can figure, doesn't like strangers for the most part and he won't listen to me at all, but the people said that they just didn't want him" the shop keeper gave a dismissive shrug "You'll have no such issues however if you were to take home this magnificent animal" he said trying to draw their attention back to the Eagle Owl but Harry had the rising notion that the decision had already been made.

His suspicion was confirmed by the look Ginny directed towards him a few moments later, using Ron as an intermediary Harry made arrangements to make the purchase. The party emerged into the bright sunlight of Diagon Alley a couple of minutes later with Ginny carrying and bag of owl treats and Strix secured in a brand new cage. Despite his earlier anxiety at the thought of buying a new owl Harry was quite pleased with the latest addition to his life. Strix appeared friendly & observant and his history had somewhat struck accord with Harry's own, he just wished he wasn't hidden beneath his cloak so he could properly inspect his latest acquisition and get to know the bird better.

Other than this and placing his orders through the others his cloak hadn't truly become an issue until they reached the newly reopened Quality Quidditch Supplies; Harry really wanted to be able to touch the merchandise, feel the grain of a broom or test the grip of a pair of gloves but he didn't know how he was going to be able to do that in a shop full of customers. When he expressed this desire to Fournier the Auror looked in his direction, evidently frustrated. After a moments contemplation the Auror came to a decision "Fine... Paddy, lock it down"

The MLE agent nodded, as Harry watched Paddy cast what he soon recognised as a variation on a compulsion charm over the entire building, suddenly those customers inside the store started leave. A pair of gentleman, both wearing an eclectic mixture of muggle punk and formal attire, who had been on the verge of entering swiftly turned away. They walked close enough to Harry for him to hear one explaining to the other "I don't know what it is but I feel like it's really important that I go home, maybe I left the cauldron on the boil or something..."

Fournier pushed Harry, Ron & Ginny inside and then sealed the door. The owner began to protest and Harry was about to join him, but when he pulled off his cloak he was instantly recognised by the portly gentleman behind the counter "Mr Potter! It's such an honour to have you in my store" the man shuffled over to him. He was wearing a tight fitting bright green suit with white trim, as well as a matching waist coat, shirt and tie. A short crop of thinning white hair topped his head, he gave Harry the impression of a giant tennis ball.

"Merlin's beard I can't believe I'm about to shake the hand of the 'chosen one'" he said as he shoved a stubby fingered hand into Harry's "Billigan Weor, proprietor of Quality Quidditch Supplies Diagon Alley"

Not really knowing what to do and mildly embarrassed Harry simply shook the man's hand

"Is there anything I can do for you Mr Potter?" asked Billigan eagerly

"Um no, me and my friends" he gestured at Ginny and Ron who were both hiding amused grins "we just want to have a quick browse and we'll be out of your hair"

"Nonsense, take as long as you need and feel free to ask questions. Tell you what everything – half price" announced the man. Harry was about to protest but Billigan kept on going "And that goes for you two too, half price for everything and I will not take no for an answer" with that he shuffled back behind his counter where he appeared to busy himself occasionally giving them furtive glances.

Relieved just to escape the man's presence Harry made his way back to his friends.

"I think you've made yourself a friend for life there" commented Ginny

"Did ya hear him Harry, half price I reckon I could get myself a decent broom" announced Ron with glee disappearing towards that section of the store.

Ginny chose to look through the rest of the shop first while Harry had a word with his minder "Next time you ask before doing something like this!" he demanded

"Like what exactly Harry?"

"Closing down an entire shop, it's uncalled for, I'm not special, I don't want special treatment, and I certainly didn't want this"

The Auror seemed to swell with indignation, in a harsh whisper he admonished him "Mr Potter, while I might've been assigned to you, it might interest you to know that my entire world doesn't revolve around you. My task here is to ensure both yours and the public's safety. This shop is tightly spaced and there is no way you could've moved around in here without being detected and considering how many customers frequent this store, once that happened we would have rapidly lost control of the situation. So I made the decision and I stick by it, the public's safety is my number one priority."

Seeing his point and feeling suitably chastised Harry conceded "I'm sorry, it's just that..." here he struggled a bit just trying to find the right words "... it's just... I don't... want other people punished for my celebrity. Does that make any sense?"

"A bit" admitted Fournier "If you don't want it done this way that's fine, we can figure something else out, but if this is how you want it be warned you may not always be able to do everything you want to"

"Welcome to the story of my life" joked Harry trying to bring some levity to the situation, but both wizards knew the reality of the situation.

He left Fournier keeping watch over the entrance and rejoined his girlfriend, Ginny had found herself an official Harpies replica shirt, she explained that she could just afford it with the money she had along with Billigan's generous discount offer. Strix meanwhile had gone to sleep and no amount of encouragement on Harry's part would induce the bird to reawaken so instead he and Ginny spent a few minutes looking at and discussing the various pieces of protective equipment the store had on show before going to find her brother.

When they eventually found Ron he was salivating over a brand new broom displayed in the front window "It's the new Thunderbolt Racing Broom! Look at it, double the acceleration of the Firebolt, they've redesigned the braking charms, added a straight line streamlining charm and reduced the roll over rate" detailed Ron with unconcealed excitement "You'd be unstoppable on a broom like that Harry"

"Nah" said Ginny in disagreement "It's only good as a racing broom, they've butchered the manoeuvrability that a Seeker needs"

Harry was in total agreement with his girlfriend "Gin's right I'd never be able to make a tight turn with that streamlining charm in action"

"Whatever, it's still cool" replied Ron sullenly

Confused by Ron's sudden mood swing he was made even more disconcerted when Ginny proceeded to kick him in the shin "Harry you can't go and agree with me like that" she whispered "you know what Ron's like"

Unwittingly Harry had broken one of the cardinal rules of best friend management – Never agree with the girlfriend when the best friend has offered a differing opinion - Always temporise and obfuscate, ultimately offer up neither a supporting nor a dissenting opinion to either camp

Quickly looking for a way out Harry back pedalled slightly "Still reckon the top end speed would more than make of for it"

Ron wasn't really mollified but seemed to give his friend the benefit of the doubt "Yeah can you imagine Draco's face if he saw you with one of those" a look of malevolent wistfulness crossed Ron's face as he day dreamed for a moment. Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother's antics.

"I wish I could afford a new broom this year" said Ginny prodding some of the second hand brooms displayed "Reckon mum'll let me get my own one?" she asked Ron "I hate using the school ones"

"Dunno, doubt it, sorry Ginny" replied Ron

"Yeah it's ok"

Harry could see the despondency well up within the normally fiery red head "If you could choose any broom which one would you get Gin?"

His girlfriend instantly rounded on him "No, I know what you're thinking Mr Potter and you will not go there" she declared bristling with pride

"I wasn't, I was just asking"

"If I answer, you promise not to do something stupid like buying me a brand new broom?" she demand

"I promise I won't" conceded Harry

She was still eyeing him with suspicion but she started browsing the spec's on the brooms "Well the Firebolt is good if you're a Seeker, great top speed, reasonable manoeuvrability and decent brakes" Harry could sense the passion rising within her as she immersed herself in the tactics and strategies she loved so much "But I like playing Chaser, high end speed is just wasted on us, we're in the nitty gritty, need to be able to dodge and roll – manoeuvrability is king. For that you've gotta go with the Comets or a Nimbus"

Ginny had drifted off into her own little world as she began wandering amongst the orderly racks of brand new Comets arrayed along the far wall, Harry could see her imagining herself riding them. It was the look of pure happiness on her face that decided it for him, he wasn't breaking his promise, not really, he had promised not to buy her a brand new room, but there was a fine selection of second hand ones available

He was just picking up a Nimbus 2000 when Ron appeared at his elbow "She's gonna kill you if you do" they both glanced back at Ginny who was completely oblivious to them "Worth it though, she's good, better than I'd ever admit to her face. If you want my opinion get that beat up 3000 that's sticking out of that barrel, it needs a bit of work so it'll be cheap but once it's fixed it'll be brilliant for her"

Ron wandered off and began talking to Ginny, Harry return to contemplating the brooms and his remaining funds. Truth be known he still had a sizable portion of his trust fund remaining and could easily afford to buy a whole set of brand new brooms for the Weasley family, but he knew they wouldn't accept them, it would be an extravagant waste. Trying to stay inconspicuous Harry managed a quick conversation with Mr Weor before joining the others.

"Ready to go?" he asked

"Yeah" sighed Ron "I can't really afford to splash out on a broom just yet. Maybe when George re-opens I can score a couple of shifts"

"Well I got what I wanted" said Ginny with barely concealed glee, her new Harpies shirt wrapped securely in vibrant green paper and held tightly in her arms "How 'bout you Harry? What did you get?"

"A book on broom maintenance and I back ordered all the Quidditch Weekly's that I missed, Mr Weor is going to have them delivered to the Burrow" Ginny was eyeing him dubiously "What? Paddy reckons they're going to restart the Quidditch League soon"

"Aye" confirmed the MLE officer from his position beside the main window display

"Right as much as I'd love to stand here and talk Quidditch all day I'd rather do it on a full stomach, Lunch anyone?" asked Ron

"Is there anything you wouldn't rather do on a full stomach?" quipped Ginny as the three of them made their way outside.

They moved past the Apothecary and headed for the Leaky Cauldron, originally everyone had wanted to dine in the Alley itself but most of the eateries were close, Harry toyed with idea of going down one of the other streets but Fournier dismissed this as most of those areas were too disreputable. The group had just opened the portal to the pub and the three teenagers had barely passed through when a number of witches and wizards came piling through from the muggle side.

Unfortunately Ron was unable to avoid the rush and crashed straight into one of them.

"Blast it boy!" cried the witch struggling to her feet, with a sense of impending dread Harry recognised the voice instantly "out of my way" demanded the 'enchantingly nasty' Rita Skeeter.

She pushed a few stray wisps of greying hair back into place and snatched her crocodile skin handbag from the ground, this like the woman herself looked as though it had seen better days. Despite the obvious layer of thick make up and a liberal application of lurid red lipstick it seemed that she, like everybody else, had experienced a rather taxing time recently. Harry didn't imagine Death Eaters appreciated a witch sniffing about their affairs, writing innuendo filled and barely veiled accusations.

It did appear however that Rita had regained some of the airs she had lost when Harry had last seen her, she didn't even look at Ron when she stepped on him after regaining her footing, huffing at having been waylaid. It was lucky that she barely glanced at Harry's friend because if she had been kinder and taken a closer look she might have recognised him.

Their luck ran out however when the witch recognised Fournier closing in on their position, Harry recognised the glint in her eye as she sauntered over to him, a piece of parchment and her infamous acid-green quill snaking their way out of her bag.

"How interesting" she said perching herself against the wall, baring Fournier's path forward "An Auror in full work regalia hanging around this patch of town"

"Excuse me ma'am I'm on Ministry business" commented Fournier his command voice emanating authority

"Of course you are, of course" chimed Rita not moving a muscle, false sincerity dripping off every word, her quick-quotes-quill and parchment ominously poised "I was just enquiring as to why one of the Ministry's gallant Auror's, who as I understand it are in rather short supply, has been posted to such a drab duty as watching over the Alley?"

Hidden under his cloak with his hackles raised Harry had to work hard to resist the urge to send a volley of curses at the vile woman in front of him. Overcoming the impulse he turned to find both the Weasleys present giving her looks of pure disdain, Paddy had a restraining hand on both their shoulders. Fournier looked no more happy to see her than Ginny or Ron did, even Strix had awoken and was bristling aggressively towards the woman.

Rita began talking again "Come now Mr?" much to the Auror's discomfort he opened his robe to show her his ID badge, the reporter peered through her glasses a the silver chevron on a gold shield "Fournier" she completed, her violent red lips disappearing into a thin satisfied smile.

The quick-quotes-quill which until now had just been hovering sprung into action, Harry could see line upon line of curling script being scrawled across the parchment. He was all too aware that the words being written were more than likely elaborate falsehoods but he couldn't act without revealing himself to Skeeter. Harry hoped desperately that the Auror had enough sense to either ignore the woman or arrest her; the later was more wishful thinking on his part.

"So Mr Fournier does the Ministry make a habit of sending valuable employees to patrol docile areas like Diagon Alley? Seems a bit of a waste of resources wouldn't you say?"

All of Harry's hopes for Fournier were dashed as he countered "No, if that was what the Ministry desired then no I wouldn't say that it would be a waste"

The layer of makeup couldn't conceal Rita's predatory look "So you're saying you've been sent here for a reason. Does the Ministry not believe the Alley to be safe?"

"No, that's not what I ..."

"Or have you done something Mr Fournier hmmm? Something that requires you to be placed where you can't do any harm? Is the Ministry covering up ill-discipline in the Auror ranks? Are the ..." She was getting in to her stride now, firing off questions before her victim had a chance to answer

"... Preposterous... I … The Ministry ..." stuttered the Auror, the authority his voice had once held faltered under the onslaught

A hand gripped Harry's shoulder and pulled him away, he hadn't realised it at the time but he was tensing in anger and he jumped a little at the contact

"Sorry" whispered Ginny "I wasn't sure where you were and I didn't want you to do something you'd regret"

Harry nodded in reply and released his grip upon his wand, it was a second before he realised he was still invisible beneath his cloak and she hadn't seen the movement, he reached over and took a hold of his girlfriend's hand. The contact, though separated by a layer of silky material, served to calm him further and he returned his attention to Rita. He wasn't the only one watching though, a small crowd had gathered and despite them all trying to appear to be doing something it was obvious that they were all listening.

"So if, as you claim, you are not here as a punishment and, as you claim, the Ministry believes Diagon Alley to be completely safe, why are you here Mr Fournier? You're in official robes which means, unless you're skiving off work, you are here on official business ..." she stated poignantly "... perhaps you are here following the same information we are Mr Fournier? Are you here due to the rumours that Harry Potter is in the area? Is the Ministry concerned for public safety? ..."

"It's time we were leaving" decided Paddy "Sooner or later Skeeter will lose interest in our friend and the last thing we need is for her to notice you lot"

The MLE officer directed the trio through the pub, which was filled with the lunch crowd, out into muggle London and into an empty alley a safe distance from the entrance from the Leaky Cauldron. Paddy had wanted them to apparate back to the Burrow but Harry refused.

He was seething inside, this was his second attempt at visiting Diagon Alley and though it hadn't ended as badly as the first time it still grated on him that it had been spoilt once again. He removed his cloak and stood in front of his minder "No, we said we were going to get something to eat and we are, no reporter is going to stop me from living my life" declared Harry he was tired of being interfered with, controlled. He liked the people who had been assigned to watch him but he was beginning to get irked at the very idea of them.

His best friend was quick to back him up "Yeah, what he said"

"Shut up Ron" snapped Ginny elbowing her brother "we already know what you stomach thinks" she cracked "At any rate if we stay in muggle London we'll be fine, no one from the wizarding world will be looking for us here"

"NO! Wizards and witches still frequent muggle London and we're hardly inconspicuous with that bird with us" stated Paddy "My instructions are clear, if we get separated I'm to return with Harry to the Burrow immediately"

"Excuse me but what if..." Harry didn't have a chance to finish his sentence before Paddy pushed something into his hand that suddenly glowed blue and he experienced the familiar sucking at the navel before being portkeyed away.


	8. Harrys Blood

Harry's Blood

* * *

Harry popped into existence in the Burrows back yard

"_Kill the spare!", A flash of green light, Cedric's lifeless eyes_

He dropped the business card that had been thrust into his hand, a few seconds latter Paddy, Ginny, Ron and a screeching Strix appeared just in front of him.

"_Ledo!_" Harry sent a punching spell straight at the MLE agent

"Harry!" yelled Ron while Paddy just managed to deflect the spell in time and now the two wizards stood facing each other with wands extended. Ginny pushed herself between the two of them "Harry, don't"

"Fine but if you ever..."

"Harry, take Strix upstairs" commanded Ginny a determined fire burning in her eyes, she pushed the owls cage at him and propelled him towards the door. As he moved towards the house he heard both Ron and Ginny begin to voice their displeasure at the man behind him. Harry wasn't too pleased at having his friends fight his battles for him but in this case, for the sake of harmony, he was willing to make an exception.

Without stopping to offer a greeting to Mrs Weasley Harry hurried up to the bedroom he shared with Ron on the fifth floor, dropping his purchases onto the floor, he set Strix's cage onto his bedside table. He released the bird which was now wide awake; Strix flew a short circuit around the room before perching on top of his cage and proceeding to inspect his new owner.

"Hey there, I'm Harry" he greeted the owl, he was trying to calm himself down and talking to Hedwig had always worked for him in the past "Sorry about that little scene, wasn't the welcome home you were expecting I bet. So this is my room, we're at the Burrow near Ottery St. Catchpole. Um... there are two other owls here Errol, he's kind of old but nice enough, then there is Pig, he a little excitable... just ignore him"

After resizing his bags Harry dug out some owl treat and offered it to his bird. Strix was rather hesitant at first but after consuming the first he consumed the rest with gusto. Slowly Harry reached up and gave the back of the bird's head a scratch, Strix continued to eat and even closed an eye in pleasure but the other still kept a vigilant watch. A tentative knock at the door caught both of their attention, the door creaked open and Ginny put her head in "Only me" she said entering. When she closed the door Strix launched himself from his perched, flew over and settled on Ginny's shoulder "Hello you"

"Me and Strix were just getting to know each other" Despite being the owls owner Harry suspected that the bird held Ginny in a much higher regard.

"So?" asked Ginny sitting down on the bed

"So... You were there Gin, you saw what he did, I was well within..."

Ginny cut him off and finished his sentence for him "within your rights to be angry, _not_ violent."

"I was angry Gin, when I touched that portkey in fourth year..."

"I know Harry, I'm aware of what happened and I understand you being angry. But it was more than that wasn't it? You don't just attack people... ..." she seemed to be waiting for Harry to respond but he didn't know what to say "... Harry? It was like last week with George wasn't it?"

How she knew was beyond him but Harry could only nod dumbly in response

"Look at me, I know that you like to bottle things up and not show any emotion but you don't have to do that around me. I'm not going to think any less of you, I'm not going to judge, I just want to be there for you" he had never really had someone to open up to before, Hermione and Ron had tried to fill that gap as best they could but he had always internalised himself around them. With Ginny it was different somehow she always managed to get past whatever barriers he put up, the pair spent the next hour or so talking before another knock at the door stopped them.

"Sorry to interrupt but Fournier has just arrived" announced Ron "and he's waiting to talk to you outside"

With a sigh Harry thanked Ron and headed downstairs, his emotions were still raw from his talk with Ginny when he found Fournier waiting for him in the back garden; the Auror's expression told him he was none too please "I understand you took a pot shot at one of my men" he snarled

"I'm sorry about that but what did he expect a bouquet of roses?" bristle Harry responding to the other mans antagonism, the conversation was going to quickly going to dissolve into an argument

"I expected you to show a degree of respect!" countered Fournier

"Respect! Where was that when he violated my rights? I won't be forced around like some subservient creature!"

"Master calls?" croaked Kreacher suddenly appearing, both Harry and Fournier were so intent on each other that they ignored the house elf's presence.

"Well no at least then you could follow instructions, speaking of which you still haven't organised someone to take over from Officer Richards, it's been over a week and it's a waste of resources" observed Fournier

"Apparently I'm not the only one who can't follow instructions seeing as I asked you lot to consult with me, to respect my wishes and less than 30 minutes later I'm being abducted via portkey!"

"Hey! Break it up you two" demanded Mr Weasley, for the second time in as many hours a member of the Weasley family had to forcibly intercede. The Auror seemed to shrink back before turning and heading away

"Sorry about that Mr Weasley" muttered Harry feeling shameful at the exhibition that the Weasley patriarch had obviously observed

"It's alright Harry, how about we take a walk" he suggested

"Excuse me Master Potter, but does you need Kreacher's services?" asked the elf

"Ah no, sorry Kreacher I actually didn't mean to call you" the elf's ears sank visibly at this remark "but I'm sure Mrs Weasley could use some help, and if she's ok then I'm sure Andromeda Tonks could find some jobs for you"

"Certainly Master" cried Kreacher, the elf beamed a genuine smile at Harry before disappearing with a load 'crack'

"Strange creatures those elves" remarked Mr Weasley "They appear to get happier the more jobs you give them, I'm not sure I understand them at all... Anyway come this way" the wizard led him out to his shed, this was where Mr Weasley went to tinker with the various muggle items he had acquired and indeed the shed was filled with numerous objects; an assortment of half built bike frames, spare tires, a large range of batteries, broken TV sets and copious amounts of wires, bolts and screws "This is my refuge Harry, it allows me to relax and think, most importantly it keeps this lot out of Molly's hair" Mr Weasley gestured to the surrounding collection "I think everyone needs one and I sense you do more than most Harry"

Harry wandered a bit before giving Mr Weasley a non-committal shrug

"Well guessing by that little display outside I'd say you do"

"Oh Mr Weasley that wasn't... I mean one of his guys..." Harry tried to explain how they had gotten to that point but he was stopped from proceeding by Mr Weasley raising his hand

"Now now, it's ok Harry, I trust your judgement, you don't need to explain anything to me, we're all a little on edge these days with our emotions so near the surface, fights and arguments are inevitable, it's how you handle them afterwards that is the true test of a man"

"Yes Mr Weasley"

"Speaking of judgement, I understand that you are currently dating my daughter" the older wizard observed

Caught off guard by the sudden change in subject Harry stuttered "I... ah... well that is to say... we haven't really, I mean we haven't even gone on a date yet..."

"Hmmm, well you might want to fix that little oversight"

"Yes sir" replied Harry

Mr Weasley frowned before continuing "it's Arthur or if you prefer Mr Weasley, also I don't imagine my wife would be too upset if you called her Molly. I'm happy for you two to be dating, she's a strong girl and I know you'll show her respect and treat her like a gentleman should" relief flooded Harry, nothing meant more to him than having the blessing of the Weasley family "My concern comes with..." Harry's heart plummeted he was going to block them from seeing each, it too dangerous to be around him or something "... well... both your parents are no longer with us and you have no readily accessible adult guidance other than Molly and I who are Ginny's parents..." Harry was confused, unsure where this was headed "... so what I wanted to say to you was; here in this room I don't want you to see me as Ginny's father, in here I want you to know that you can come to me for advice and the like. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded, but feeling this was inadequate he responded "Thankyou Ar... Mr Weasley, I don't know what to say"

"Don't worry about it just now, as long as you know that both Molly and I are here for you" perhaps feeling that the conversation was at an end Mr Weasley changed subjects "What do you know about these?" he said gesturing to a pile of broken and disassemble bicycle frames

Harry explained what the various parts were for and roughly how they went together, Mr Weasley got a particular thrill when he was shown how to inflate a tire. Eventually the two of them made their way inside where Harry found Ginny in her room reading "Well that's not something I expected to find you doing" he remarked from the doorway

"Why? Is it more of a Hermione thing?" smirked Ginny sitting up in bed and closing her very used edition of _The Standard Book of Spells – Grade 6_

"Kinda" said Harry taking the seat at her desk. Harry didn't spend much time in Ginny's room and the distinct lack of the girly touches he expected always stuck him, the room was much narrower than Ron's but about twice as long, with Hermione staying it made things cramped with two single beds down one end and a desk & wardrobe in the other. Ginny's school trunk sat at the end of her bed with the cage for Arnold, her pet Pygmy Puff, sitting on top. Large windows framed each end of the room making it appear light & airy despite its cramped nature and a number of posters of the Weird Sisters and the Holyhead Harpies covered the walls.

"Well Hermione's current thing is sucking face with my brother like she probably is now"

The image that suddenly assaulted Harry's mind caused him to scowl, he had absolutely no objection to his two best friends being an item, but the two of them were closer to family than anything else and the visual of them making out was slightly disturbing "Now that you've scarred me for life I'll change the subject shall I?"

Ginny poked her tongue out in response but waited for him to continue

"So your dad and I just had an interesting conversation" stated Harry

She raised an intrigued eyebrow "Was this before or after you had the giant shouting match that everyone in the house could hear?"

"After... during this conversation I came to the realisation that you and I have..." for reasons he didn't understand Harry suddenly felt very nervous "... um... ah... never been out... on a date"

"And is this you asking me out?" asked Ginny a cheeky smile playing around her lips

"Ah yeah, I guess it is" he confirmed

"Smooth Harry, smooth" she taunted, it was obvious she was enjoying herself.

"You're not making this any easier"

"Why in Merlin's name would I want to do that?" smirked Ginny, she got up off the bed and sauntered over to Harry's end of the room "So where would we go on this date?" she asked perching on the arm of his chair

"Is that a yes?"

"Of course it's a yes you prat" she replied, slapping his shoulder "now where are you taking me?"

"Dinner and a movie? It's the traditional thing isn't it?" said Harry, he'd never been on an actual date before and other than taking a girl to Madam Puddifoot's or the Three Broomsticks on a Hogsmeade weekend his only reference was what others had told him and muggle television.

"Sounds good" she shifted backwards and flopped into his lap "sounds very good" she concluded leaning into him "Just one question..." Harry breathed out slowly, having Ginny in this position was tantalising and being denied even for a few seconds was akin to torture "... What's a movie?"

Harry resisted the urge to snort and with the utmost self control managed to say "I'll explain over dinner" before pulling his girlfriend close and kissing her with all the vigour that being in her room, with her door wide open, and family floating around would allow.

* * *

_The three friends were sitting around the Gryffindor common room, Ginny had just joined them as well, she and Harry had placed themselves in front of the roaring fire. Harry was really enjoying the sensation of having Ginny running her hands through his unruly hair, he was almost oblivious to the world until Hermione approached._

_The witch began poking him in the shoulder, despite his protests and trying to bat her away she continued and started speaking "Harry Potter sir, excuse me Harry Potter sir..."_

"...I is sorry to wake you Mr Harry Potter sir"

Grudgingly opening his eyes he took in a small green blurry form positioned above him "Argh!" he yelled in surprise

"I is sorry Mr Harry Potter sir I doesn't mean to scare you" announced the blob in a feminine voice he vaguely remembered. He reached for his glasses, once they were on he recognised the creature before him as Winky the house elf.

"Everything alright?" queried Ron from his side of the room

"Yeah" replied Harry "It's just Winky"

"Mmph" grumped his roommate returning to sleep

"Harry Potter recognises Winky, I is happy that he does"

"What is it that you needed to wake me up so early?" Harry knew it was fairly early in the morning, the room was dark, both Strix and Pig's perches were empty and there was no sign of sunshine starting to come through the window.

"Winky is sorry it is so early but I must be starting duties at Hogwarts soon and needed to talk to Mr Harry Potter before then" said the elf, she looked nervous and kept her head slightly bowed with hands behind her back "Winky has been informed that Mr Harry Potter sir is looking for a secretary/servant sir, and I is knowing it is not normal for house elves but Winky was wanting to offer her services"

"Huh?" said Harry rather confused

"Kreacher told Winky of the job, if this is not the case, Winky is sorry and I is going to have words with Kreacher..." Harry cut her off and explained "Sorry, I'm just a little groggy. I suppose you want paying?"

"Well I is supposing Winky can be indentured but Dobby is saying we is free elves and..."

"Dobby was right, you are – How much do you want?"

"Winky is paid 1 galleon a month so..."

"2 galleons" commanded Harry knowing that the elf would ask for much less, he could see her about to protest "Fine 3" the elf visibly blanched and quickly covered her mouth lest Harry offer her more "But you have to make your own uniform" he warned as a way of softening the blow. He held out his hand and the tiny elf shook it in agreement, in the predawn gloom Harry could see tiny rivulets of tears coursing down the elf's cheeks

"Yes Mr Harry Potter sir, thank you, Winky will inform Headmistress McGonagall today" with a 'pop' the house elf disappeared leaving Harry to return to his dreams

* * *

Early one evening, within a few days of appointing Winky sort through his mail, Harry received two large sacks, a small sack and an elongated box via owl. He was lucky to be outside sparring with Ron and Hermione when the latter arrived, he quickly spirited the box into Arthur's shed and returned in time to see Ginny emerge from the house "You got mail?" she asked spying the 3 sacks

"Yeah" said Ron who had already pulled them open "would you believe these two are full of fan letters" he said gesturing to the 2 larger bags "this one I think is actual mail" he said tossing the smaller one to Harry

"What are you going to do with this fan mail? There's no way you can read, let alone reply to it all" remarked Ginny

"Maybe you could ask Winky to, I mean house elves are good like that" suggested Ron

Hermione raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend and then gave Harry a look of disapproval, she had been out of joint since Winky appeared at the breakfast table two days ago to speak to Harry wearing a miniature maroon and white pinafore with the Potter family crest emblazoned on the front

"Look Hermione she's getting paid three times as much as she was getting at Hogwarts and it was a stretch to get her to take that much, I guarantee you she would have settled for one galleon a month or even less." said Harry defensively "I told her to make up her own uniform, I'm not sure what else you want me to do, she's a free elf, she can come and go as she pleases"

"I still think it's horrible, and what about Kreacher?"

"You know I agree with you, and as you know I've offered Kreacher his freedom before, I honestly think he's better off as he is, that he's so used to being indentured that setting him free could be harmful"

Hermione took a breath before relenting "You're right, I know you're right, it just gets to me is all. I swear when I graduate from Hogwarts I'm going to do something about those awful draconian laws that we have"

"If anyone can do it you can 'Mione" chimed Ron, both he and Ginny had discreetly stayed quiet while Hermione's ire was raised

"Speaking of Hogwarts" commented Ginny "McGonagall just came through the floo"

The four of them quickly scrambled inside where Mrs Weasley and Professor McGonagall were waiting for them "Potter, Granger, Miss Weasley, Mr Weasley" greeted the wizened witch

"Professor" they chorused

"It's good to see you four in good spirits, now I was just speaking to Molly about arrangements for reopening the school" Harry could feel the anticipation in the room ratchet up, the majority of it emanating from Hermione "The school will be reopening as per normal on the first of September, there may be some ongoing repairs but for the most part we believe that Hogwarts will be fully functional. Now Ginevra as a sixth year student you will automatically be enrolled for your seventh year, as for Ronald, Miss Grainger and Mr Potter the board of governors has authorised me to invite you, and any other students who did not or were not able to complete last year, to return to attend the year of schooling you have missed"

"We can come back? We can sit our NEWTs?" asked Hermione

"Yes Miss Grainger" smiled the headmistress "Letters will be issued as normal on the first of August, those of you who are interested in returning should let me know before then. I must leave you now, I have a number of Gryffindors left to visit" turning to Mrs Weasley "Molly, a pleasure as always"

"I'll see you out Minerva" responded Mrs Weasley and the pair moved into the kitchen with the floo

"Did you hear that" crowed Hermione ecstatically "They're letting us back in, I mean I didn't think... we missed... I can do my NEWTs... I... I..."

Ron rushed to calm his girlfriend who had begun to hyperventilate with excitement, Harry gave Ginny a knowing look to which she responded by rolling her eyes. 'So they were all going to be let back into Hogwarts' reflected Harry internally, he knew he should feel excited by the prospect, not to Hermione's level but at least to some extent but he was unsure of what he felt. A lot had happened and while Hogwarts would always be the first place he'd ever really felt at home, the place now held a cacophony of confusing and hurt filled memories.

A touch on his shoulder jerked Harry from his contemplation, it was Ginny and she offered him an encouraging smile before saying "Just think about it Harry, you don't have to make a decision today"

"How did you...?"

"Oh like it was hard to guess" smirked Ginny "You're a brooder Harry, just remember if you do decide to come back you get to spend an entire year with me" she gestured over her shoulder at the other two "definitely Hermione and possibly Ron too" Ron had a glazed look as Hermione chirped away happily at his shoulder probably detailing plans of what she hoped to study

"At any rate I'm off to have shower, so I'll leave you to dream about that instead of worrying about next year" joked Ginny sauntering off towards the stairs

"Ginny!" Harry was shocked and flustered at her suggestiveness, he felt the colour rise in his cheeks and quickly looked around to see if Ron had heard her, a mischievous giggle echoed in the background. He needn't have worried about his friend who had slipped into a stupor ignoring his girlfriend and was now completely oblivious to everything going on around him.

Wanting to escape getting dragged into Hermione's revelry Harry grabbed his sacks of mail and headed off to his bedroom.

* * *

Harry had enlisted Ron's help with repairing the second hand brooms he had had delivered from Quality Quidditch Supplies. To hide Ron & Harry's absences and to keep the project clandestine Harry dragged his friend into his early morning exercise regime, at first Ginny had been highly suspicious of Ron voluntarily participating in any kind of exercise but as he consistently returned both sweaty and exhausted her doubts subsided.

"Oh for the love of all things magical, not again" complained Ron as his latest attempt at adjusting the lateral movement reduction charm on the Cleansweep 8 he was working on failed. Harry smiled at his friend's misfortune, they had been working for over an hour and they both started to feel drained at about this point "I never realised that it would be so much work, I thought we'd have to fix three or four charms and bingo, but there's gotta be nearly a hundred different spells on this broom alone"

Consulting his manual first Harry replied "Hundred and twenty for that particular model"

"Argh!" cried Ron, he kicked at the ground in frustration

"Relax Ron, how much do you have left to do?"

"Once I've fixed this spell, I need to put back the vertical stabiliser and cushioning charms, figure out what's happening to the thrust charm and then test it again. You know it's no wonder people buy brooms instead of making their own, this stuff is complicated"

It had quickly dawned on the two of them that this task was a much larger project than either of them had expected. Each broom consisted of a myriad of interlinked, interwoven charm and spell layers. Fixing a problem wasn't as simple as adjusting a particular charm, instead they had to remove all the linked and overlayed spells, which could be upwards of twenty, fix the target spell, reapply the others and finally test to see if the original problem had been solved, which often it wasn't. The Comet 360 that Harry was currently working on had an annoying habit of pulling off course in random directions, it took three frustrating days and hundreds of spell casts before he discovered the previous owner had merely applied a simple homing charm to the broom which could have been removed immediately at the start with a single spell.

"We should've got Hermione to help us" stated Ron for what seemed like the hundredth time

"We needed her to distract Ginny, she would get suspicious of the three of us disappearing at the same time and you know she'd come looking to investigate" replied Harry

"Heads up, incoming" warned Ron who was looking wistfully out of one of the sheds grime covered windows, Harry was nervous of discovery and quickly rushed to cover the brooms with a tarpaulin that Arthur had lent them "It's alright, it's Fournier"

Harry's detail were in on the project and they occasionally helped out by showing them how to do the more trickier or obscure spells which weren't always illustrated clearly in Harry's 'How to' manual. When the Auror entered the shed Harry was surprised to note that he wasn't in full regalia, other than at the Order of the Phoenix meeting, he had always been in uniform, instead he was wearing an expensive looking, tailored, black muggle suit.

"Sorry to interrupt, Connor said you two were in here and I need to talk to Harry for a bit" stated Fournier

"Should I go?" asked Ron standing up

"Stay" instructed Harry, he would just end up repeating all of this to Ron anyway

"It's fine" commented Fournier, waving him to sit back down "Ah, first up I feel like I owe you an apology for the other day" the two of them had been avoiding each other since their argument, Harry to felt the need to apologise and had opened his mouth to do so when the Auror cut him off "No, Harry let me finish. As an Auror, I should have thought through the situation beforehand and realised that neither one of us was in the correct frame of mind for handling that conversation without it degenerating like it did, as such the responsibility is mine, so I apologise"

Feeling slightly taken aback from the formality of the statement Harry could only manage a nod of acknowledgment before eventually replying "I wanted to say I'm sorry too for whatever part I played in it"

"Thank you Harry, now to business, two things; firstly I know that you have felt uncomfortable having us here and that you would prefer life without us" he stifled Harry's unvoiced objection "So I have submitted a request for the MLE overview committee to have them review that situation and if they feel it's warranted to either continue or withdraw us"

Harry was unsure how he felt about this development, on the one hand he was happy, ecstatic even, at the prospect of regaining his freedom and independence, but on the other he was slowly becoming accustomed to the idea of having them around, he especially appreciated the sense of security their presence gave to the Burrow's residences'.

"Of more importance is my second piece of new, a while ago you asked me to look into the whereabouts of your family" Ron gave a cough of derision but Fournier continued "from talks with various members of the Order we know they went, via a roundabout route, to an Order safe house in Edinburgh, Dedalus Diggle was in charge and he reported all things as being satisfactory every week like clockwork, that is until the middle of march when he sent a message concerning a suspicious witch seen in the area, then either the witch or something else spooked him, they missed their next check in time, the following week he reported to be in a safe house in Belfast, subsequently they were in a different location each time they sent us a message, each time a member of the order tried to contact them they received no reply"

"And then what?" prompted Harry seeing Fournier hesitate

"The last contact we had from them was a message received in early May saying that they were staying the night in a muggle motel... in Exeter"

"Mid May... that's when those..." it dawned on Harry the significance of the Dursleys being in Exeter at that time "Are you saying... Are they dead?" Ron had moved from his position and was now gripping Harry's shoulder in supportive anticipation of the answer. Of the many things that Harry had wished upon the Dursleys over the years, death was not one of them and he felt a wave of guilt and sorrow well up as he anxiously awaited Fournier's answer.

"Initially we were unsure, there _was_ a motel hit during the attack, unfortunately the entire building was destroyed by fire. I had a friend of mine who is embedded with the police force down there take a second look around, he identified some obvious spell damage to the building but couldn't determine anything further"

"So where does that leave us?" asked Ron, Harry's hope was quickly fading

"Well we didn't have any more leads until this morning, the Order has been keeping an eye on certain places recently like Godric's Hollow and Little Whinging, today when the morning shift arrived at Privet Drive that noticed a letter sitting atop the rubble, it's addressed to you but we took the liberty of reading it" Fournier reached into his robes and produced the letter

Fighting a swell of displeasure at having his privacy invaded Harry took the letter and opened it.

_Harry_

_36 South St, Romford – 10am_

_DD_

He noted the DD at the bottom – Dudley Dursley? The letter was written on paper rather than parchment and the poor quality handwriting was close to the vague recollection of Dudley's that he remembered "I think it's real, what's the address?"

"It's a muggle bank in East London" replied the Auror

"We going?" asked Ron

"That's the plan" confirmed Fournier "we need to hurry we don't have much time"

The three of them returned to the house and quickly explained the situations to the others, Charlie and Hermione quickly volunteered to accompany them, as did Ginny despite her mother's objections "Mum, I'm completely capable of taking care of myself, I fought in the Battle of Hogwarts just like everyone else"

Before Mrs Weasley could reply Fournier interrupted them "This meeting is out in public in a muggle bank, a large group of wizards would be highly conspicuous. Hermione you can come but the rest of you will have to wait here, I've contact Minerva and she has some members of the Order standing by, if anything happens they can be with us in seconds"

Harry gave the assembled Weasley's a reluctant smile, Ginny approached him a determined fire still visible in her eyes "You keep yourself safe Harry" she demanded "Anything happens you keep your head down and you get your arse back to me, no heroic crap" her wishes expressed Ginny grabbed him and pulled him into a passionate kiss

As departures go Harry much preferred that one to the others, the warm fuzzy feeling it left him with was significantly more enjoyable than the gut wrenching terror he normally experience when he was about to knowingly head towards possible danger.

The trio apparated to an empty alley where Connor was waiting for them "This is as close as we can get safely, the bank is on the corner three blocks down. Whoever picked this place knew what they were doing, the place is crawling with muggles"

"Connor, you stay here and keep watch, you two, follow me and remember constant vigilance" commanded the Auror. It struck Harry that this man almost definitely had known Mad Eye Moody, the thought seemed to occur to Hermione as well causing the two to share a smile at his memory.

They moved out on to main road, in one direction South Street was a busy two lane road with a number of distinctive red buses rumbling down it, in the other it turned into a pedestrianised zone paved with granite setts, both directions were line on either side with turn of the century red brick and plaster buildings. Within seconds of their emerging on to the side walk the trio were being jostled by a steady stream of muggles going about their business.

"This way" indicated Fournier heading towards the pedestrianised zone

There seemed to be some kind of market day going on and the continuously moving crowds of people made Harry wary of being caught in an ambush, he constantly swept the faces he could see incase he recognized someone and nearly jumped out of his skin when a door slammed behind them. He turned in time to see a taxi further down the street pull out and rapidly speed down away.

The three of them continued down the road, eventually Fournier stopped and indicated the building across the road to be their destination, like those around it the bank was a three floored structure but it stood out, it was obviously a modern building of a bluish grey colour, the top two floors appeared made up of offices, the bottom floor which housed the actual bank had floor to ceiling windows interspersed with concrete pillars, anyone entering inside would be highly visible.

"It's time" noted Hermione

Harry gave the building and the surrounding area one last look before heading inside, he hadn't seen anything that jumped out at him but a voice in his head kept reminding him that he wouldn't either if his opponents were any good at their job. He wasn't the only one who was nervous, Fournier had tensed visibly when the automatic doors opened to let them in and Harry could see Hermione fingering her wand from the outside of her jeans pocket.

Standing in the polished stone foyer they surveyed the people inside the bank, none of them recognised anyone as being familiar "What now?" ask Harry turning to the others

"We wait" stated Fournier

Waiting had never come easy to Harry, Hermione and Fournier stood to one side watching people as they entered and exited as he paced the width of the entrance way for several minutes. After what seemed like an age Harry was coming to conclusion that whatever was supposed to happen wasn't going to, he was also becoming concerned at the looks they were getting from the staff who it appeared felt nervous at having three people standing about with no apparent purpose.

He turned to the others for their opinion "We could ask one of the tellers, perhaps Dudley left you another letter" suggested Hermione. Harry looked over to Fournier but the Auror didn't have any better alternative so he and Hermione joined the line of customers waiting to be served while Fournier continued his vigil at the entranceway.

After five minutes they were nearing the front when a middle aged bank employee, possibly a supervisor of some sort, approached them "Are you Mr Potter?" she asked.

Harry could sense Hermione tense beside him and in the background Fournier too was paying close attention; all three of them were now on high alert "Yes I am" replied Harry cautiously

"This is going to sound a little weird but we have a phone call waiting for you" she gave a nervous half laugh and offered him a cordless phone

With a nervousness born of experiencing too many unexpected happenings Harry took the phone "Well it wasn't a portkey" he muttered, Hermione must have been thinking of the same possibility as without his realising she had taken a firm grip on his arm, only as she released it did he actually feel it, so intent had he been on the phone.

"I'll leave you to it, you can just hand it back to a teller when you're done" the woman flashed a smile and then departed leaving the two of them staring at the object in Harry's hand, they moved to one side to get away from the people waiting in line

"There's too many muggles about" stated Hermione "I can't risk getting my wand out to check for booby traps, it's up to you what you want to do Harry"

He glanced over at Hermione's pensive figure but she only offered a shoulder shrug, taking a calming breath Harry raised the phone to his ear and spoke "Hello"

"Harry?" came back the trembling voice of his cousin

"Dudley, what the hell is going on? Where are you?"

"Are you alone?"

"No I'm with a couple of friends"

"At least you're not lying, I recognised the girl, who's the bloke?"

If Dudley knew that Fournier was with him he had to be able to see them somehow, Harry signalled them surreptitiously trying to subtly pass the information on to the others by first slowly pointing to the phone, then his eyes, then the three of them. While Fournier maintained a look of incomprehension, Hermione must have rapidly deciphered the message as she carefully began looking out the windows and searching amongst the people and buildings outside.

"He's a friend who's helping me"

"Do you trust him?" Harry looked over at the Auror standing a few metres away, he had only known the man for a month, but in that time he had never done anything that Harry would consider untrustworthy, on top of that he was an Auror, a disciple of both Kingsley and Moody, and a member of the Order. With all that in his favour Harry had to give him the benefit of the doubt "Yes"

"Good, before we go any further I need to know if it's really you Harry"

"Right well... I don't know... ask me some questions" replied Harry in exasperation, he glanced at the other two who were both watching him, looking mildly confused

Dudley paused for moment to consider before asking "Alright... um... what was the best Christmas present I ever gave you?"

"You've never given me a present of any kind in your life" scorned Harry

"True, who was my best friend growing up?"

That one was too easy thought Harry, anyone who had known Dudley for more than five minutes in the last ten years knew who is best buddy was, he was the guy holding you while Dudley was doing the punching "Piers Polkiss"

"Where..."

Frustrated at the amount of time this was taking and anxious to get moving Harry snapped "Enough Dudley! Tell me where you are"

There was a long pause as the voice on the other end of the phone considered this. Hermione gave him a look of concern as he waited listening to the low level buzz of conversation in the background and the occasional thud of stamps, when over a minute had past Harry prompted "Dudley?"

"Do you remember what dad's company made?"

"Yeah" replied Harry, Uncle Vernon was the managing director of Grunnings a company that made drill bits

"There's a hotel nearby with a similar name, come to room number three" instructed his cousin, abruptly the phone call ended and Harry's was left listening to the disconnected tone

"So?" prompted Hermione

"They're nearby, hold on" he made his way to the counter where the same supervisor woman was working, he handed her the phone before asking "Excuse me, but is there a hotel or something nearby to do with drill bits?"

"Drill bits?" the woman looked at him as if he had grown an extra leg from his forehead before some kind of understanding dawn on her "Do you mean 'The Drill'? It's a pub and a hotel about a kilometre from here"

"Yeah that might be it"

The woman wrote the directions down on a piece of paper and hand them to Harry who hurried back to the others to let them know what had happened. As none of them had been there before and they didn't know the area they couldn't apparate to 'The Drill' so following the directions given to them they made their way as rapidly as possible on foot.

'The Drill' turned out to be a two story, stand alone, red brick building; its name was embossed in gold on a blue background next to the front door. It was nearing lunchtime and already a crowd was gathering in the pub on the ground floor. Moving inside cautiously Harry spied a reception desk behind which a man stood talking to a couple of customers. Seeing Harry and his friends approach he beckoned to them as the two people he's been talking to passed through a door to the right where the pub was "Looking for a room" he asked

Harry wasn't sure what to do but luckily Hermione took over "Um no, I'm meeting a friend of mine... Room number three?" she asked politely

"Certainly miss, up the stairs second on the right"

It was at this moment that Harry's eyes drifted towards the muggles gathering at the bar, he didn't know what had made him look but he could've sworn he saw a red headed woman seated at the far end staring at him, the same woman he'd seen at Godric's Hollow, but before he could get a proper look Hermione distracted him "Come on Harry, it's up her she said gesturing to the stairs" by the time he looked back the seat was empty but a half empty glass still stood on the bar in front of it.

Pushing it to the back of his mind Harry refocused on his current objective and followed his friend up the stairs with Fournier taking up the rear, the hallway at the top was tight and dimly lit. Harry felt a degree of trepidation as he approached the door, he had no idea what he was going to find behind it, for all he knew this could be the real trap and he was taking two other people with him. He knocked on the door and readied himself for what was about to happen, but nothing did, indeed he had to knock a second time before he heard a scrabbling noise from behind the door "Who is it?" again Harry recognised the voice as that of his cousin "It's Harry"

"How do I..."

"Dudley, let us inside now!" commanded Harry, he wasn't quite sure if he'd seen the woman downstairs or not but he wasn't sticking around outside to find out

There was a short hesitant pause before Dudley released the lock on the door, Harry pushed forward to get out of the hall, expecting to see his cousin behind the door he was temporarily stunned when he was greeted by the business end of a double barrelled shot gun. A trembling Dudley Dursley was holding the other end, Harry read a multitude of emotions on his cousins face; pain, relief, confusion but above all fear

"Easy Big D, it's me, it's Harry" he hoped that by using Dudley's nickname it might diffuse the situation somewhat but a movement behind him was almost their undoing as his cousin twitched with nervous energy "Fournier, Hermione, freeze, no-one move, keep your wands away. Dudley it's me, it's Harry, I used to live under the stairs until my eleventh birthday, every day until then going back as far as I can remember you used to jump onto the seventh step and stomp your feet right above my head"

The barrel dropped fractionally "Is it really you?" asked Dudley in voice of intermingled disbelief and hope. Harry nodded and was soon engulfed in a desperate hug "Oh thank god"

"Dudley what's going on? Where is everybody?"

"Mum and Mrs Jones are in the bedroom" he gestured to the other side of the living room where there was a door slightly ajar

Indicating for the other two to go ahead, Harry used a mirror on the wall to give his cousin a proper appraisal; he had lost a lot of weight, he looked exhausted and dishevelled with what Harry estimated as three or four weeks worth of facial hair growth. Further examination was prevented by an alarmed call from Hermione "HARRY!"

He rushed across the room, when he reached the bedroom he was shocked to discover an ashen faced Hestia Jones lying on the bed, her side covered in makeshift bandages with blood visibly seeping through them. Already both Hermione and Fournier were attending to the which, meanwhile his Aunt Petunia was standing aside watching desperately, it was clear she had been the one who had previously been attempting to aid the woman as she too was splattered with blood.

"Dudley what the hell has been going on here?" demanded Harry "Where's Uncle Vernon and Diggle?"

His eyes were focused on the scene in front of them and it took him a moment to answer "Dead... I think, I'm not sure" his voice was devoid of emotion and he spoke as though he was remembering what he'd had for lunch that day "We were hunted... always hunted... we didn't know where to go, who to trust, always she knew..."

"When you say 'she' who do you mean?"

Dudley turned to face him, the fear that had subsided since Harry had first seen him had suddenly returned to full force "There was this woman... everywhere she went she was always there"

This news alarmed Harry extremely, what if this was the same woman who had been haunting him of late "Dudley this is important, did this woman have red hair?"

A cry of pain from Hestia had drawn Dudley's attention away "I only saw here once" he muttered distractedly

"Dudley, the woman, was she a red head?" Harry asked more vehemently this time

"Um, yeah, possibly" he confirmed

Moving quickly to Fournier's side Harry whispered forcefully in his ear "We have to get out of here now, it's possible that the person who did this is right outside as we speak"

The Auror looked at him questioningly

"Dudley just described the same woman I saw at Godric's Hollow, and I'm pretty sure I saw her downstairs just now before we came in" explained Harry

Fournier nodded and stood up and concentrated for a moment before casting a 'Patronus' charm, his Patronus, a large badger, ambled around the room before returning to face the Auror who spoke "Poppy, emergency at the Burrow, come immediately" he then flicked his wand and the badger disappeared down into a tiny point of light and then shot through the wall towards its destination, he then return his attention to Hestia and cast another spell that Harry didn't recognise "I've put her into a state of stasis for the time being but it's only temporary, we have to move her somewhere safe where we can treat her" he addressed this towards Harry's aunt who was still standing against the wall watching.

"What do you need me to do?" asked Hermione

"Can you side-apparate Harry's aunt?" replied Fournier

"Wouldn't a portkey be easier?" asked Harry looking over at Hermione meaningfully

"Yes but..."

Whatever the auror's objection was it was lost when he heard Hermione incant "_Portus_"

"Dudley, Aunt Petunia grab hold" instructed Harry pointing to the pillow that was now faintly glowing blue, with the unthinking faithfulness of those who are trapped in the depths of shell shock both of them followed his instructions, within seconds the faint glow turned incandescent and the six of them disappeared.

Their arrival at the Burrow was greeted by an alarmed shout from Charlie "They're here!" almost immediately Ginny and Ron burst out the door and rushed to their respective partners sides, they followed by Kingsley, McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey and Mrs Weasley. Madam Pomfrey immediately took charge "Mini, help me get her inside, Molly attend to the rest" the two witches levitated Hestia through the door and onto the couch in the sitting room.

Mrs Weasley made to check the rest of them for injuries but Hermione stopped her "The blood's not ours Mrs Weasley, it's from Hestia" she pursed her lips in disapproval but Fournier confirmed it, instead the Weasley matriarch turned her attention to Harry's aunt "Mrs Dursley, why don't you come and have a cup of tea" the woman had yet to say a word since Harry had first seen her not twenty minutes earlier and she continued in mute silence, she did however manage a nod "Ginny come give me a hand please" requested her mother and the pair of woman moved into the kitchen.

Ginny shared a grim smile with Harry and then dutifully followed her mother without complaint.

Meanwhile Fournier was just finishing speaking to Kingsley "... her injuries are nothing to do with us Minister, we found them like this and brought the three of them straight here. I can have a report on your desk in an hour's time but for now, with permission, I need to retrieve one of my men and brief the rest of my team"

"Certainly" conceded Kingsley, with that the Auror apparated away. The Minister for Magic then turned his attention on Harry "How are you doing?"

"I'll be fine" replied Harry tersely; he was still trying to make sense of what had happen and he could feel his heart beating like a drum

"I'm glad you're alright, I won't worry you about what happened out there for now, I'll read about it in Officer Fournier's report, but I would like to know sometime soon what happened before that"

"I don't know details, but I'll talk to Dudley and see what he has to say" as he spoke he looked over at the person in question, his cousin cut a forlorn figure standing there staring at the door where his mother had just gone through. Charlie had gone up to him and it looked to Harry as though he was trying to reassure him but whatever he was saying was falling in deaf ears.

"Ok Harry, let me know, for now I need to attend to my more official duties" Kingsley gave him a supportive pat on the shoulder and then apparated away

"Are you really alright?" asked Hermione, she had been waiting to one side with Ron until Harry had finished with the Minister

"I'll be okay" as the adrenaline levels in his body receded the emotional toll of what he had just endured began to make itself known, he was feeling drained and that all too familiar pang of guilt and loss was starting to take hold "It's Dudley I'm worried about, he thinks Vernon and Diggle are dead"

"Oh god" muttered Hermione

The three of them moved over towards Charlie and Dudley "Hey Dudley, we're going for a walk, do you want to come?"

His cousin nodded and joined them, Harry couldn't imagine what they had gone through to leave him and his mother this way, Petunia was almost catatonic. Harry thanked Charlie for trying to talk to Dudley and then led the others towards the orchard near the back of the property that the Weasleys used as a makeshift Quidditch pitch. The field was fallow now and contained mostly waist high grass and weeds but Harry enjoyed spending time here as it was quiet and secluded, its position on top of a hill offered a view of the Burrow and its surrounds. They sat beneath a pair of gnarled apple trees which marked the entrance to the field, Dudley sat at Harry's side, far closer than he ever would have before.

For a long time they just sat in peace, no-one wanted to interrogate Dudley about his ordeal and instead they chose to just sit there in the sunshine. Eventually it was Dudley himself who broke the silence "Are we really safe here Harry?"

"Other than Hogwarts it's as safe as they come" replied Harry, they lapsed back into silence

Ron was the worst person for waiting patiently even more so than Harry was, so it was inevitable that after a few minutes watching the wind ruffle through the tree tops he would speak up "Well we could put it under a _Fidelius_" he suggested

"No you can't Ron" corrected Hermione

"Huh?"

"We can't, Mr Weasley is a head of department within the Ministry" stated Hermione as if it was the most obvious thing in the world

"So?" asked Ron his confusion evident

"So" replied Hermione frustrated once more at her boyfriends lack of knowledge "as an HOD he is required under wizarding law to 'have his place of residence open for scrutiny by any member of the public', so we can't use the _Fidelius_, the Burrow is however under the full set of Ministry wards and a couple more that Bill has added since the wedding fiasco"

The Ministry wards had been one of the first things to fall when Voldemort and his cronies took over, leaving all the properties they protected open to attack, which is exactly what happen at Bill and Fleur's wedding.

"So what does that mean?" asked Dudley

Answering the question Harry pointed to each of his friends in turn "Hermione" she waved in response "was just explaining that this place is protected by a number of spells including some which Ron's older brother Bill put up" Ron gave a short wave as well

Dudley went back to his quiet contemplation, suppressing his nearly overwhelming desire to find out what happened and not wanting his cousin to feel like the three of them were waiting for him to talk Harry continued to strike up conversations with the other two, occasionally Dudley would ask a question or laugh at a joke one of them made but for the most part he stayed silent. In due course the conversation turned to Hermione's parents "... so they hadn't realised we were dating" remarked Ron

Hermione continued the story "And we were in Ron's room, and we were um..." she blushed a red that would've done any Weasley proud

"Making out" suggested Harry

"And in walks her mother" confirmed Ron "you should've seen her face" Harry heard Hermione whimper but he continued to focus on Ron's story "picture this, at first she was shocked, looking from me to her, her to me, then all of a sudden she squeals and starts clapping and runs over, hugs me, then hugs her, and she's crying 'I'm so happy for you', man I couldn't get out of there fast enough"

Hermione hung her head in shame as Ron and Harry both chuckled at the scene "I'm never going to live this down"

"It's not that bad" comforted Harry "Speaking of your parents, where are they today?"

"A friend of dad's is retiring so they're looking at his dental practice in Gloucester, it has an established cliental and forms part of a three bedroom house" stated Hermione

"Your parents are dentists?" enquired Dudley

"Yes they are" she confirmed

"My dad made drill bits" muttered Dudley "or he did..."

During the pregnant pause that followed Harry exchanged a look with his to best friends, Hermione glanced meaningfully at Harry's cousin encouraging him to speak "Do you want to talk about it?" asked Harry taking the message

Dudley distractedly pulled at some tuffs of grass, after a moment he glanced up at Harry and gave him a resigned nod "I don't know where to begin..."

"Start from leaving Privet Drive" suggested Harry "nobody is sure what happened after that"

"Well we drove to Edinburgh, the road trip was mostly fine, Mr Diggle kept asking dad if he could drive and then it turned out that Mr Diggle didn't know how to drive so that made dad really happy... but apart from that nothing happened" Dudley had a far off look and he intently tore the grass strands around him into smaller and smaller pieces as he told his story "The safe house was a three bedroom apartment in the central city, there wasn't much else to it. Mum and Dad took one room, I got my own and Mrs Jones got her own, Mrs Jones changed the couch into a proper bed using magic and so Mr Diggle slept in the sitting room"

"And that was it really for like the next seven/eight months, we sat around the apartment watching TV, if we needed anything Mr Diggle or Mrs Jones would go out for it, Mrs Jones would show me magic from time to time, she was really good at changing stuff..."

"Transfiguration" supplied Hermione

"Yeah... well, nothing much happened until one day Mr Diggle came home troubled, he was worried he had been followed, he thought he saw a woman at the store, then that same woman in a crowd, and then again on the street outside. Two days later Mrs Jones returned and she was freaked out, she'd seen a woman looking at her from the bus stop down the road, when she looked back the woman was gone."

"Mum and Dad started panicking, Mr Diggle put us all in the car and we took off. I think the first place we stopped was a place in Belfast but a couple of weeks later Dad thought he saw the woman again, so we packed up again and we kept moving, but every time we moved someone would see something Dublin, Leeds, Cardiff and a bunch of small towns, campsites and truck stops, we never stayed more than a day or two. We were in Portsmouth when I saw her..."

"Do you remember what she looks like?" interrupted Ron, Hermione glared at her boyfriend but Dudley continued "Maybe as tall as Harry, thin, red hair, young... possibly twenty at the most, the problem is no-one ever got a good look at her, you'd see this person and by the time you register something is wrong she's gone"

All of this was startlingly familiar to Harry, he was sure that this was the same woman that had been haunting him and a distinct feeling of dread settled about him, when would it be over, when would he be able to live his life without having to keep looking over his shoulder

"Eventually we ended up in Exeter, we checked into a motel and everything quieted down, there was some kind of festival a week after we arrived but then nothing. Late one night we were all sleeping and there was a flash and a bang outside, it woke everyone up and when Mr Diggle looked out the window... I don't know what he saw but he yelled at everyone to get up, he told Mrs Jones something and then grabbed me and dad, there was another bang outside and Mr Diggle did some magic and we were suddenly somewhere else"

"He apparated you?" asked Hermione, Dudley obviously didn't know and just shrugged his shoulders

"Mrs Jones turned up with mum a few seconds later, it turned out we were in the back office of a storage warehouse in Swansea and for a couple of hours we were fine... we were just getting settled, Dad and Mr Diggle were trying to figure out our next move when suddenly there were spells flying. Dad opened a box he'd been carrying around since we left Privet Drive, he threw a shot gun and some shells at me and pulled out one of his own" tears slowly course down Dudley's cheeks, as he stared with unseeing eyes at the ground in front of him "He yelled at me to stay with mum, and he, Mr Diggle and Mrs Jones went out into the warehouse. That was the last time I saw Mr Diggle... or dad"

A long pause ensued where all that could be heard was Dudley breathing heavily, Harry reached out and gave his cousin a comforting embrace.

It was a few minutes later before Dudley resumed his narrative "I could hear lots of shouting and bangs coming from the warehouse, every now and then I'd see bright colourful flashes through the gap under the door, slowly it got quieter, the sounds and lights came less often. I was trying to decide whether or not to go out and see what happened when the door burst open, Mrs Jones ran in and grabbed us and did that magical transport thing again. I don't know where she was aiming for but we landed in park, it was the middle of the night and no-one was around, Mrs Jones changed the shotgun into an umbrella so that people wouldn't notice and we set off to find a somewhere to stay, that's when we found 'The Drill'."

"Again nothing happened for awhile, maybe a week, and then Mrs Jones got sick. It was freaky, she coughed up blood and then this wound appeared on her stomach and it wouldn't stop bleeding, we wanted to take her to the hospital but she wouldn't let us, she said to 'Trust No-one'. It was the next day that I decided I really needed to get out of there, mum was tending to Mrs Jones and she was crying, I knew we needed money to pay for the room so I asked the guy at the desk where the nearest Barclay's Bank was, cos that's where dad did his banking and I can forge his signature."

"I got there and withdrew some money, everything went smoothly and I was walking back when I saw you two" he gestured to Harry and Hermione "and that other guy walking down the street, I kinda freaked out and jumped into the nearest taxi and drove straight to the motel. I was going to get mum and Mrs Jones and escape out of there but Mrs Jones was too sick. I didn't know what else to do and then I thought of you being in the area and thought maybe it was the real you, maybe you had been watching dad's accounts or something so I rang the bank... and well you know the rest"

Harry was still holding his cousin when he finished talking and for the longest time nothing was said, all of them stayed silent as the processed what Dudley had told them. It was Hermione who eventually spoke first "You said you just happened to be at the bank when you saw me and Harry?"

"Yeah" replied Dudley

"But what about the letter you left on top of the rubble at Privet Drive?"

"What letter?" asked Dudley "And what do you mean rubble?"

"The house at Privet Drive was destroyed" explained Harry

"Oh" Dudley sagged a little bit more, the destruction of his home was clearly something he was unaware of and if this was the case then he definitely didn't leave the note there. The same thought seemed to occur to Hermione and after sharing a concerned look with Harry she leant over and whispered to Ron.

The approach of Ginny from the Burrow meant that the mystery of the origin of the note would have to wait for another time. On her hip she carried an excited Teddy his hair today a vibrant Weasley red, as she got closer Harry stood to introduce her "Dudley this is my girlfriend Ginny"

"Hey" greeted Dudley his eyes tracking from Ginny to Teddy to Harry and back again

"And this is my..."

"You have a kid!" blurted out his cousin

This outburst caused Hermione and both Weasleys to snort with laughter "Ah no, this is Teddy he's my god son" corrected Harry lifting up the infant and giving him a kiss

"My bad" said Dudley

"It's alright" said Ginny "Teddy's grandmother Andromeda came over to help talk to your mum, my mum's hoping to make things more comfortable for her" she turned to Harry "McGonagall is looking for you"

Harry noted the quiet and resigned way she said this and figured that it probably wasn't going to be good news, he handed his god son back and left his friends to watch after Dudley. He felt a degree of apprehension as he made his way down the hill and approached the back door where McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey were waiting. His former head of house looked as stoic as always but the medi-witch with her seemed deeply upset and was using a tissue to dab away tears

"Potter, how is your cousin doing?" asked McGonagall

"As well as can be expected" replied Harry

"Indeed, your aunt is resting in a bedroom; Molly and Andromeda are sitting with her"

"I've given her a calming draught" noted Madam Pomfrey

It was good to hear that his aunt was being cared for but Harry had the distinct impression that his aunt was not the reason these two witches wished to speak with him "What's wrong?"

"Hestia is asking for you Potter" announced the Headmistress

"Before you go in you should know she's very sick" warned the medi-witch

"What's wrong with her?" asked Harry

"It appears that sometime during the last few weeks Hestia was cursed, the spell appears to be some kind of necrotising curse which is something I personally have never seen" said Madam Pomfrey

It was like drawing blood from a stone, Harry didn't know if it was intentional but he was becoming very irritated "Enough, tell me everything"

The two witches shared a look, McGonagall nodded her assent and Madam Pomfrey began explaining Hestia's condition. The curse was slow acting; it initially causes a small number of cells within the body of its victim to die off, but then the curse spreads and more cells die. Initially it presents itself to the sufferer as tiredness along with occasional abdominal pain; the first significant sign is coughing up blood as the curse invades the lungs, when the curse spread so does the amount of bleeding "... by the time it reached the point that Hestia coughed up blood it was too late, I'm sorry Harry but she's dying"

Once again the revelation that people were still dying rocked Harry, for what reason was blood being spilt? Voldemort was gone, never to rise. Did his cronies really believe that what they were doing was going to make a difference in the end?

"Can't we take her to St Mungo's?" asked Harry

"To move her now would just hasten the inevitable, curse damage of this kind is irreversible and she's beyond the point that she could live with her injuries" answered Madam Pomfrey

"She would like to see you Potter, if you're willing" stated McGonagall

Harry nodded, how could he not, this woman had fought to protect his relatives and it she was going to die because of it, because of him.

McGonagall led the way into the Burrow, just inside the door stood Sturgis Podmore forlornly watching over the Weasley's sitting room which had been converted into a triage, one of the couches had been converted into a bed similar to those Harry had slept on in the hospital wing of Hogwarts. Hestia was propped up on top of the bed, her abdomen and torso were tightly wrapped in fresh bandages and a trolley nearby was covered in a pile of empty flasks and potion bottles. At her bedside sat Elphias Doge, he was holding her hand and talking to her softly.

When he approached a ghost of a smile flittered across the dying witch's face but it was soon replaced with a grimace of pain, when the pain receded she beckoned for Harry to approach "Give us a minute" she said to Doge and waited for him to move away before turning to Harry "I hear you did it, you defeated the darklord... I'm glad, it means me and Dedalus were right about you..." periodically Hestia contorted with pain but it seemed through sheer willpower she was able to overcome these bouts "... don't feel guilty Harry, don't... we died doing our duty, doing what we believed in..." she gave him a weak smile and held his hand as if to comfort him but at this point she pull him close and whispered "Diggle said to 'Trust No-one except Harry', I don't know why but... remember Mad Eye's advice"

Hestia let him go and she leaned back into her pillows, another wave of pain seemed to sweep through the witches body, this time it was worse than the others, she gasped and began coughing. Harry was dismayed to see bloody spittle appear on her chin and Doge rushed forward to clean it off, Hestia was breathing heavily now and straining against the invisible demons within that were torturing her "Elphias it hurts" she whimpered and both Harry and Doge turned to the medi-witch standing nearby "Can we give her anything?" asked Doge

"It would probably kill her" advised Madam Pomfrey

Harry looked at Hestia, her veins were popping out with exertion as she tried to control her body, he reached forward to hold her hand and his own was nearly crushed in her vice-like grip, coughing once again she looked straight at Harry, to him the pain, suffering and fear were obvious in her eyes and there was only one real solution "Do it" he commanded

The medi-witch began to protest "Harry she'll..."

"Do it, she doesn't deserve this"

"I agree Poppy" stated McGonagall, Podmore sniffed in the background but nodded his concurrence, Doge took one long look at Hestia before adding his consent

The witch rummaged momentarily inside her cloak before producing a medium sized vial of light blue liquid "It's the strongest pain reliever I have with me" she looked once more to Doge, who nodded his assent, before pouring the vial's contents between Hestia's lips.

Almost instantly the tension in Hestia's hand slackened, enough so the Harry was actually holding her hand not just having his clamped onto. The witch visibly relaxed and her breathing slowed, Madam Pomfrey stood at the head of the bed and offered what comfort she could by stroking the woman's hair, McGonagall and Podmore perched themselves on the end of the bed and the five of them waited as the witch's breathing became more and more laboured, within a few minutes a final rattling breath was heard and the little tension left in her body departed. Madam Pomfrey did a quick check and confirmed it Hestia Jones had died another victim in a war that was supposed to be over.


	9. Living Life

Living Life

* * *

**So here is the latest chapter, this and chapter 8 were originally supposed to be a single chapter but it turn out that there was too much ground to cover and I needed to get chapter 8 out before my exams. Enjoy.**

* * *

Not knowing what else to do and feeling that he owed the witch an immeasurable debt Harry stayed by Hestia's side. Slowly, as word spread, various members of the Order arrived. All of them felt the need to offer Harry condolences when they greeted him, but the act just seemed to heap more and more guilt upon his already overloaded shoulders. He barely knew the woman in life, other than the few words they'd exchanged when she came to pick up the Dursleys, Harry was unsure if the two of them had ever actual spoken directly to one another and now people were trying to console him over her loss.

When he looked around Harry could see others who were far more distraught than he was, Hagrid could frequently be heard sobbing in the corner and he wasn't surprised to see Olympe trying to reassure him, Mr Doge too seemed particularly upset, from what he had overheard Harry knew that before she was murdered towards the end of the last war, Elphias's daughter had been a close friend of Hestia, and that subsequently muggle-born Hestia had somewhat adopted the older gentleman as a guide to the wizarding world. But still they came to Harry, the latest was Mrs Figgs who had just arrived via the floo.

As the still soot covered woman spoke it was almost the straw the broke the camel's back, it was too much, too much grief, too much sorry, too many kind words. Something in Harry's demeanour must have expressed this as the old woman faltered mid sentence, she mustn't have been the only one to notice as Andromeda suddenly appeared at his side and abruptly asked if he would mind retrieving Teddy from outside. Grateful for the escape Harry obliged and quickly sped out the back door, down the steps and out into the garden.

The others were exactly where he had left them sitting at the orchard entrance, only now the sun was setting and the group was surrounded by a number of glowing orbs floating around them. Teddy had moved places and was now lying between Ron and Hermione, staring up into the steadily darkening night sky. Ron was entertaining the infant by using his deluminator to make individual orbs zoom towards him and then float back into position. Even from halfway up the hill Harry could hear the child's gurgle of delight every time he did this. Ginny and Dudley meanwhile where watching Crookshanks stalk different members of the Garden Gnome population that called the Burrow home. By her hand gestures Harry guessed she was telling Dudley about the Weasley family method of removing the creatures but she stopped mid explanation when Harry entered the pool of light.

Either Ron or Hermione must have set a warming charm on the area as Harry felt the temperature rise significantly as he approached, but even this combined with Teddy's happy babble did little to dispel the melancholy that seemed to swirl within him.

He was greeted by the concerned faces of all four teenagers and not knowing any other way to word it Harry came right out and said "Hestia's dead"

At first their reactions were all the same, a startled gasp followed by an expression that comprised various quantities of shock, anger, pain and sorrow. Tears soon sprung to Hermione's eyes and she buried her face into Ron's shoulder, Ron and Dudley both took on the stoic reserve that men so often do when faced with emotion, the proverbial 'stiff upper lip'. Ginny's response however was different, once her initial reaction had worn off concern clouded her face and her eyes bore in on Harry's own, an unvoiced question evident within, the look was so intense that he had to drop his own gaze in order to nod a reply, lest they see the grief he was trying to hide.

Ron was the first to speak "We should go pay our respects"

Hermione with her head still buried in her boyfriend's sleeve nodded her assent and Dudley too gave a grimace of agreement, the three of them starting making their way down the hill, Hermione passed Teddy off to Ginny while Ron gave Harry a consolatory pat on the shoulder as he passed him.

Not wanting to breakdown in front of his girlfriend once again Harry desperately sort a reason to excuse himself, it took him a moment to remember his original purpose in coming out here. He asked if Ginny could return the infant to his grandmother, she agreed but promised to return immediately.

Harry used his temporary lack of companions to escape into the woods, he didn't really know why he was doing it he just knew he wanted to be able to let it all go and he couldn't do that with everyone watching him. He wasn't heading for anything in particular, he just ran, trying to put as much distance between himself and everybody else as possible. As he ran the images he had worked so hard to deal with in recent weeks came back to haunt him, this time accompanied by some new ones.

_Hestia lying stiff and cold, A blood-soaked warehouse floor, A faceless red headed_ _woman_

Harry was so distracted that he failed to notice the overgrown root protruding out into his path, suddenly he was face down in the dirt and a sharp pain shot up his right leg from his shin. All the emotions he had suppressed up until now bubbled to the surface and overflowed, reaching for his wand he took all his frustration out on the offending root blasting it into thousands of infinitesimally small pieces. The satisfaction of wanton destruction gave him an instant release from his torment, he got moving again and every time a thought or an image took hold he lashed out at his surrounds; trees, rocks, plants were all blasted away.

When he reached a clearing he was able to unleashed his rage, standing in its centre he started yelling, screaming, and indiscriminately firing spells of all kinds at the various objects around him. He raged at the dead and the dying, he raged at the living, he raged at Voldemort, Dumbledore, The Order, The Malfoys, Sirius, Death Eaters, his parents, the list went on. He took his anger out on anyone who had ever hurt him, abandoned him or made his life harder in anyway.

Harry continued on until he realised he was no longer alone, he could feel a person's gaze upon his back. Turning slowly he saw Ginny standing halfway across the clearing from him, she was tense and alert but other than that he couldn't determine what she was thinking. Harry had to wonder at this new dynamic, before it had always been Ron and Hermione who tried to rein him in or calm him down but now it seemed more and more Ginny was assuming that role. Is that what it means to be in a relationship with someone?

He didn't know, all Harry really knew was that he felt exhausted; he didn't know how many spells he had cast in the last few minutes but he knew it had to be well into triple digits and you didn't do that amount of magic with it taking it out of you. Right now Harry's legs felt like jelly and his knees were threatening to give out on him, not only that but his other injuries were beginning to have their toll. On top of the bruise on his shin, he had scraped his hands and cheek in the rough landing, his whole body ached from the activity he had put it through and he could feel tightness and puckering around the various scars he possessed where the skin hadn't stretch properly during his exertions because of them.

But ultimately what he really felt was empty, it was as if the well of emotional turmoil that had always boiled up within him had finally been drained dry. Unfortunately that feeling didn't last long; already he could feel his guilt and anger returning forming a tight ball in the pit of his stomach.

"Get it all out of your system?" asked Ginny bringing his focus back to her.

"Leave me alone" Harry regretted the words the moment he said them, for a second he registered the hurt in his girlfriend's eyes before it disappeared.

"No!"

"I didn't want people to follow me"

"That's crap and you know it" retorted Ginny coming to stand directly in front of him, she might have been a head shorter than him but the fiery red head could certainly be intimidating "If that was true you would have apparated away"

"Well I'm muggle raised, maybe I didn't think of that" replied Harry defensively.

"Harry Potter you maybe many things but stupid is not one of them, if you'd really not wanted to be found I'm pretty sure you could've made it so that even Hermione wouldn't have been able to find you"

He tried to formulate a response but struggled to find something to say. After a minute or so, feeling mildly shameful, he broke the silence "How did you find me?"

"You weren't hard to follow" she replied with a hint of a smile, she came to his side and gestured towards the sky above the woods. Against the pale moonlight Harry could see faint wispy trails of smoke eddying into the sky, the woods around them bore a more obvious answer as well, small fires crackled away merrily in the debris of numerous trees, the glow from their flames bathed the clearing in a rosy hue and cast eerie shadows "Plus this is where we all have ended up at one point or another, I spent eight hours up that tree when I was nearly twelve" she pointed to a gnarled, old fashion apple tree "Dad found me, within a few minutes of me running off, but I refused to come down" Harry was sure she was just trying to bleed some of the tension out of the situation, but he loved hearing about Weasley family life, it gave him a glimpse at how his youth could've been "I don't remember what set me off, I do remember dad finding me and asking me to come down, when I refused he simply smiled and sat down at the base of the tree. If it'd been mum I'm sure she would've levitated me down, but not dad, he just sat there reading to me all day. Eventually he asked me if I was coming in for dinner and we were already eating before I realised that I was supposed to be angry and staying up the tree."

"That was the last truly innocent memory I have... a few weeks later we ran into Lucius Malfoy in Flourish & Blotts and by the end of that year I was fighting for my life in the Chamber of Secrets"

Once more the pair of them lapsed into contemplative silence broken only by the occasional bird twitter. This time it was Ginny who chose to speak first "So... you going to tell me what's been going through that angry little head of yours?"

Harry's "I dunno" was accompanied by a non-specific shrug as is gaze wandered about, he tried to look anywhere except at Ginny, but it appeared that she was taking a page out of her father's play book because after a while she merely sat on the grass by Harry's feet and started pulling at weeds. For lack of anything else to do Harry joined her, he was instantly gratified that he did as it relieved the burden on his aching body. It was with a sense of inevitability that he started speaking "I just felt frustrated, alright?"

"Yes... You know its fine to feel frustrated, even angry from time to time" Ginny took his hand as she spoke "But you were doing so well, I just want to know what happened to cause all this"

"I guess it was mostly the stuff that happened today, I'm just tired of everything happening to me, of being afraid and not knowing why..." a squeeze of his hand prompted Harry to continue "... I mean why are people still dying for me?"

He expected Ginny to be sympathetic to his anguish, but she had a completely different reaction, instead she gripped his hand almost violently and used it to punctuate her reply "No you don't Harry Potter, you don't get to be so arrogant as to say that people are dying for you!" The vehemence of this statement was so strong it shocked Harry "You need to get this into your skull, outside of your parents – and I thank Godric Gryffindor everyday for what they did, but outside of them not a single witch or wizard would ever claim they died for you Harry, they died fighting for what they believed in, for the life they wanted for them and for others, what they sacrificed themselves for was much bigger than just one person. Tonks didn't die for you, neither did my brother and I'm sure Hestia and Diggle didn't either" he felt her hand grip his chin and force him to face her "Harry people fought to protect you because they thought you were their best hope, and they were right, you won"

"But that's just it, we didn't win, people are still dying and I feel so helpless doing nothing, I should be out there!"

"Doing what exactly?" demanded Ginny.

"Hunting down these bloody Death Eaters!" snarled Harry.

"Cos you were so successful at doing that the last time!" retorted the diminutive red head, by now the two of them were back on their feet facing off to one another "From what you've told me you didn't actually find any of the Horcruxes you just stumbled across them, you didn't hunt down Tom either – he found you!"

"How long do you think it would take you this time? Years? You know it would kill mum, because Ron would follow you at the drop of a hat and I've seen Hermione's scars Harry, she won't admit it but she went through hell and she'd do it again if you asked her to" tears coursed down his girlfriend's cheeks despite the grim determination she otherwise displayed "And what about me Harry? Are you going to run off and abandon me? Pretend that I don't exist? Because I'm sure as not coming if you decide to leave, I spent enough time looking over my shoulder in the past year, that's not how I want to live my life"

It didn't escape Harry's notice that this was the first time the Ginny had ever mentioned her experiences at Hogwarts while he had been absent but now was not the time to ask about that "Then what do you suggest I should do?"

"If you're asking me about what you should do with your life, I don't know; join the Aurors, take up gardening, become a world famous ballerina" half a smile threatened to make an appearance before Ginny quietly continued "I'm not fussed what you do Harry as long as you can go home at the end of the day and I can see you, floo you and write to you" Harry felt a hand gently coming to rest on his cheek "What I think we should all be doing is living the lives everyone fought so hard for us to have instead of mopping around the Burrow like we have been, we should be having fun, playing Quidditch or going out to dinner and a '_moowee_' "

Harry almost laughed at Ginny's attempted pronunciation but he was distracted by the sudden realisation that tonight was supposed to be their first date, in all the chaos of today he had totally forgotten "I'm..."

The youngest Weasley cut him off before he got any further "It's alright Harry, I understand, we can reschedule but for now I think we should be getting back"

She was right, it was starting to get cold and by the look of the sky much later than he expected, plus he was sure Ron and Hermione were waiting for him somewhere in the woods, he could always tell when one of them was around these days and he also knew that they, especially Hermione, wouldn't let him take off like he had without coming after him.

* * *

When Harry arrived back at the Burrow last night Hestia's body had been moved to Doge's house where he and a few volunteers from the Order were watching over her. In their absence an impromptu meeting of the rest of the Order had taken place, Harry hadn't stayed around for the meeting but had awoken to Molly Weasley sitting quietly at the end of his bed. She explained that during the meeting the location of the warehouse had been discussed, they believed that it was possibly a seldom used storage warehouse, belonging to a business owned by an Order member. Two of the Order had been dispatched by McGonagall to investigate and they reported that although they hadn't discovered any bodies, the warehouse was in disarray, numerous objects had been obliterated, most likely as a result of Vernon's shotgun, and copious bloodstains covered several walls, crates and the floor.

Harry let this information sink in as he prepared for Hestia's funeral, ultimately he decided it was irrelevant, he knew how Diggle and his uncle had died he didn't need bodies to confirm it. The ceremony was held at the same hidden garden as before, Hestia would be buried elsewhere near Doge's daughter, but in this garden that memorialised the fallen members of the Order a plain bronze plaque was placed, and on it was engraved simply:

_Dedalus Diggle_

_Vernon Dursley_

_Hestia Jones_

_Killed ~ May/June 1998_

The service itself washed completely over Harry, partly because he had heard these same platitudes so many times that the words had lost their meanings, but mostly because he was thinking over what Ginny had said to him last night. He did stop and pay attention whenever somebody told a personal anecdote, these were a truer reflection of the individual, Harry could perfectly picture Petunia's story about the first time Vernon had met her parents, Harry's maternal grandparents, he could see his uncle fumbling over the words he had carefully written on cue cards and then faltering completely when Petunia chose to enter the room, it gave Harry a whole new perspective on the man.

Harry still wasn't really paying much attention when the service broke up which may have explained why something went wrong when he tried to apparate back to the Burrow. He experienced the usual sensation of being compressed all over by an indefinable pressure, but rather than it being followed by the release of all that pressure, Harry felt as though he had hit a giant elastic band which snapped him backwards, instead of appearing next to the front door as he had intended he found himself tumbling through undergrowth until he came to rest up against the base of a tree.

"What the hell was that?" grumbled Harry, he dusted leaves and dirt from his robes and checked himself over for splinching before looking around, the trees were familiar enough that he knew he was at least near the Burrow. It wasn't until he climbed to the top of a nearby hill that afforded him a view of the surrounding countryside that he could actually get his bearings. Judging by the view it was probably the same or near to the hill he, Ron and Hermione had landed on a few months before.

Not too far away Harry could see the construction underway on the Lovegoods new house, the old one have been partially destroyed by the explosion of an Erumpent horn and then left to decay as the two occupants were both in separate prisons. According to Ginny, Luna and her father were off travelling while the house was being rebuilt, probably looking for some rare (or more likely nonexistent) animal he mused. To his right a long shallow valley opened with a slow moving river crossing the valley entrance, and nestled there sat Ottery St Catchpole, Harry could barely make out the Burrow at this distance, even if he hadn't known which one it was by its position on the outskirts of town, he would have been able to identify it by its rather distinctive construction.

If he chose to walk it would probably take him hours to get to the village and the house beyond it, he wasn't quite sure what had happened the last time but it was probably a result of him being distracted. Harry concentrated hard on his three D's before turning into the nothing, the elastic sensation was still there but it was somewhat less this time. Instead of being sent end over end through the dirt he was merely thrown backwards off his feet before slamming into the ground behind him.

Hysterical laughter echoed around Harry as he tried to orientate himself, slightly dazed he sat up to see he was only just outside the edge of the Burrow's property line. The laughter, coming from two different people, had subsided to an amused giggle until Harry stood up to see Ron and Ginny sitting a few metres away, when they saw him they both dissolved into hysterics again, there were tears in Ginny's eyes she was laughing so hard.

Despite his confusion it warmed his heart to see the two of them happy, it had been a long while since he'd seen anyone give in to simple unmitigated mirth. Harry realised he was probably the source of this joy and so he waited patiently until their merriment had subsided before talking "Would somebody mind telling me what's going on?"

Ginny snorted and tried to suppress a laugh while Ron managed to reply "Well if you'd paid attention after the memorial you would have heard dad say we won't be able to apparate directly into the Burrow anymore"

"Right that makes sense" muttered Harry "So can I..." he gestured indicating his intention to walk over to them.

"Hold on" Ginny got up and skipped over to him, a playful sparkle danced around her eyes. When his girlfriend reached him see pulled him into a powerful kiss before whispering "You're so cute when you're an idiot, Merlin the look on your face..." she smiled and grabbed his hand pulling him towards her brother "Come on, you'll have to be escorted this time but after we get you incorporated you'll be able to walk in by yourself"

As he passed over the border he felt the hairs on the back of his head prick up and he encountered a slight resistance before Ginny's tug pulled him through the boundary.

"Yeah mate over here" Ron gestured to a white stone tablet, it was covered in runes, symbols and engraved with what looked like random squiggles, closer inspection revealed these squiggles to be writings in at least four different languages, of which Harry recognised one as Gobbledegook and another as Latin "Bill, Fleur and a couple of their co-workers at Gringotts did it while we were all at the service, pass me your hand"

With a bit of trepidation Harry held out his free hand, he flinch away when Ron pulled a small curved dagger from his robes, it had the same runic markings as the tablet and other than a few blood spots it shone like sliver.

"It's okay" comforted Ginny "he just needs one drop and we can heal it up straight away" she waved a tiny vile of dittany in front of him.

Reluctantly Harry handed his hand back to Ron "Before I do this I need to ask you..."

"Ron!" complained Ginny.

"... Bill asked me to do this, it's part of the warding process, the blood has to be given willingly in full knowledge of the consequences" replied Ron, he turned back to Harry "Do you give this sacrifice willingly, and aware that through this act you are bonded to these wards as long as they shall exist?"

Harry didn't hesitate before replying "I do" he was willing to do anything to protect the Burrow and her residents.

"So be it" declared Ron, the knife glowed purple for an instant before it was jabbed into his finger, Harry didn't even feel the prick of the blade, it only hurt when Ron squeezed the wound to induce a droplet of blood to fall on the tablet. Ginny quickly poured a splash of dittany onto the finger and within moments it had healed and was if nothing had happened. Ron meanwhile was using the knife to smear the blood drop across some of the writings on the tablet - _'Fidelis per vita' _the words seemed to soak it in.

Once again the hairs on Harry's neck bristled with the presence of magic and he caught a glimpse of a vast blue shimmering dome encapsulating the Burrow as the wards accepted his donation. In the blink of an eye it was gone but Harry got the impression of being a tiny, miniscule figure within a giant snow globe – minus the snow.

"So you gave mum a bit of a fright" continued Ron conversationally as if what had just happened was normal, Harry supposed in some way it probably was for the Weasleys but he had never experienced anything like it "She was all worried when you didn't show up after the service"

"I figured you probably hadn't listened when dad had spoken to us after the service and that you'd done something stupid like trying to apparate into the grounds" smirked Ginny "I never imagined you'd do it a second time though, that was hilarious" she cracked a wicked smile at him.

Beside her Ron did a re-enactment of the event, including comic sound effects and ending in an impersonation of a dazed and confused Harry. Ginny giggled throughout and the sound was so infectious that soon Harry had joined her too, he took the good natured ribbing on the chin and simply enjoyed the moment of light heartedness.

As they walked back towards the house Harry asked the question that had been sitting in the back of his mind "So your mum's worried about the possibility of the Burrow being attacked?"

As if reading his thoughts Ginny squeezed his hand "It's nothing to do with you being here Harry, mum always worries about what's happening out in the world, it's her job"

"It wasn't until Tom was at the height of his power that the Burrow was warded like this before"

"Dad's position within the Ministry has always afforded us a certain level of protection" replied Ron matter-of-factly "Back then the Order insisted on the extra protections, mum didn't really mind either way, but she's changed a bit... you know since the attack at the wedding and... Fred..." Ron trailed off at the mention of his brother "... Bill reckoned the wards were actually stronger than at the wedding, but she's still worried so he came and put in some more, thinks it's now probably harder to get in here than some of Gringotts's vaults"

"We all know how secure those are" joked Harry.

"Well not only can no-one get in or out by magical means, you have to have a blood connection to pass through the wards. Don't let this get out but some of the wards may not be entirely legal, and from Fleur's description there are couple that definitely aren't ethical" noted Ron conspiratorially.

"Speaking of the wedding" piped up Ginny in an apparent effort to change the subject "Before we came out to look for you, mum was starting to play musical beds again like when the Delacours where here"

"Hopefully I don't end up sleeping in the bath tub like when we hosted the last family reunion" grumbled Ron leading the three of them in through the back door.

Inside Mr & Mrs Weasley, Petunia and Charlie were seated around the lounge, Hermione and Dudley were seated at the table listening in to their conversation, and as usual of late George was probably moping in his room. It wasn't unusual for him to go unseen for an entire day only coming out when his mother forced him to come down for dinner. The three of them took seats at the table, Hermione frowned at Harry as he sat down opposite her, it was clear she disapproved of his not listening earlier.

"So what's the plan so far?" asked Ron.

"Mum in Percy's room, I'm bunking with Charlie, Mr & Mrs Granger are going to have your parents room and they are going to sleep on the couch. Harry and Hermione get to stay where they are" announced Dudley.

"That won't be necessary" announced a gruff voice from behind them, Mr Granger entered the kitchen followed by his wife, nobody had heard their rental car pull up "Molly, Arthur can we have a word"

Mr & Mrs Weasley hurried into the kitchen.

"As we explained the other day a family friend of ours has been trying to retire from his practice for awhile now and he offered the business and the attached house to me, this morning I accepted his offer." Harry could see by Hermione's reaction that she had been completely left out of the loop on this decision "Now the house has been unoccupied for a couple of months and comes already partially furnished so we can take up residence immediately. I wanted to thank you two for your hospitality" Mr Granger presented the Weasleys with a couple of bottles of expensive looking wines.

There was a stunned silence as everyone digested the information, Mrs Weasley was the first to recover her wits. She thanked them profusely for the gifts and tried to convince them to stay a few more days but Mr Weasley was insistent "No I'm afraid not Molly, this year has been rather eventful and despite the kindness you've shown us we both feel the need to settle down into a familiar routine and try to restart our lives. Hermione, you should go pack we'll be leaving as soon as we have gathered our things"

Hermione turned as pale as Ron as she spluttered "But... but... but my friends are here, I want to..."

"That's enough" snapped her mother "I think we've had our full of you doing what you want to this year. While we pay for you tuition you will live under our roof and under our rules, now go upstairs and pack your things!"

Harry could see the blood rise in Hermione's cheeks, the witch stood up and squared off in front of her mother. For half a second Harry thought she was going to either break down or start yelling but she surprised them all by holding her head high and striding purposefully from the room.

Within the hour Hermione had departed, the entire time she was packing she refused to shed a tear, Harry knew from the discussions they had while on the run, that despite her parents reactions Hermione felt she had done the right thing, especially in lieu of what happened with Harry's own relatives, and if her parent's chose to punish her for that decision then she would bare it as a natural consequence.

* * *

It was a few days before Hermione was able to return to visit the Burrow, she arrived just as the four teenagers left in the house were finishing lunch, Harry was sad to see his friend in her situation but she seemed to be coping for the time being "It's not like they're yelling or anything" she explained "it's almost the polar opposite, they barely talk in my presence. I overhear them talking every now and then but if I get close enough to hear what they're saying they stop"

"You can visit here as often as you want" supplied Ron, he hadn't stopped grinning since his girlfriend had arrived "You should get your new place connected to the floo network"

"Considering my parents aren't even talking to me at the moment I'm not about to ask them to outlay the costs of installing a floo connection" Hermione said this calmly but Harry could hear the strained undertone in her voice "They did say the "They did say they were going to buy me a cell phone so you guys can go down to the village and ring me from a pay phone whenever you want"

"Urgh, I still remember when we tried to call Harry at home, this muggle phone system doesn't seem to work well does it?" noted Ron.

While Hermione took Ron through what the Weasley family had done wrong when they tried to call Privet Dr, Harry was tapped on the shoulder by his cousin "Why don't they just get a phone installed here?"

"Electronics and magic don't really mix well unfortunately that's why the Weasleys don't have a telly" explained Harry.

"Ah, it would've been so good if they did, I was bored out of my tree yesterday, you think we could go out and do something today? Something... normal?" asked Dudley.

"Normal? What do you mean by 'normal'?" asked Ginny who had been listening in, her tone of voice made it clear that she didn't appreciate being considered anything other than normal by the Dursleys.

"I didn't mean it like that" replied Dudley defensively "I just meant to say can we do something that people who can't use magic do? What do you call them Harry?"

"Muggles?"

"Yeah that's the one, can we do a muggle activity like go to the park, or kick a ball? It's all very well watching you guys do stuff with magic but it gets kinda boring after awhile"

It was weird for Harry to see his cousin talk this way, before he would have just whined about his problems but the Dudley in front of him today politely presented his request and produced a reasonable argument. His cousin also had a point though, they tried to include him in everything but Dudley, more often than not, ended up just watching what they were doing, they had given him a couple of books but reading really wasn't his forte and most of the books they had were text books which expected that the reader had several years of magical education under their belt. They had tried showing him wizard's chess but, like Harry, strategising wasn't his strong point either though he did seem to enjoy watching Ron's soldiers trounce Harry's whenever they played each other, exploding snap worked for awhile but there is only so many hands you can play in a row before it loses its appeal.

"Remember if we want to leave we have to give Harry's friends some warning" offered Ginny, that particular rule was quickly becoming a bone of contention between Harry and his minders, Fournier was often inaccessible because he was spending more and more time at the Ministry, especially after an article had come out by Rita Skeeter claiming that, among other things, the Auror department was been miss handled and resources squandered. His frequent absences were affecting Harry in that twice now his date with Ginny had been cancelled due to Fournier being called away at the last minute, it was getting to point that the two of them were considering drastic measures.

"That's cool we can do something here like swimming" replied Dudley.

Ron perked up from his Hermione induced stupor "Swimming, I'm up for that"

"But I didn't bring any bathers" objected Hermione nervously, rubbing at her neck.

"Are you a witch or not? Transfigure something" replied Ron suddenly excited by the prospect, the last few days had been oppressively hot, reminiscent of the heat wave they had all endured a couple of years ago, more than once Harry had cast a wishful glance at the pond and the river beyond but he was worried about the others reactions, Hermione hadn't seen his latest scar yet and Ginny hadn't seen any of the ones on his torso at all, so he had kept the suggestion to himself.

"Come up to my room we'll sort something out" offered Ginny.

The two girls disappeared up the stairs, the boys meanwhile where already all wearing shorts so it was just a matter of grabbing some towels from the scullery and heading out. While he might have been concerned about Ginny and Hermione's reactions, Harry had completely forgotten about someone else's so he was a little startled when just as he was pulling his shirt off his cousin exclaimed "Holy crap!"

At first Harry thought Dudley had hurt himself jumping in the river but any confusion was resolved with his follow up comments "What the hell happened to you? What's with all the scars?"

"Oh, ah..." he was at a loss for words

"Turns out Harry's not that good at magic" quipped Ron with a playful elbow at Harry

"Shut up" replied Harry but feeling this was insufficient he gave Ron a push in the back, it was just hard enough to force his friend to overbalance, he stumbled a few paces down the embankment before tripping and landing in the soft mud that bordered the river "Dammit Harry" cried Ron as he made an ungainly flop in to the water, brown muck flowed around him "If I had my wand you'd be sorry!" both Harry and Dudley chuckled at his misfortune.

"Seriously Harry what's with those"

Harry looked down at his chest "Well... this one..." he pointed to the oval in the middle "that one's actually Hermione's handy work"

"What did I do?" ask Hermione from behind him.

"Maimed... me..." he trailed off as he caught sight of Ginny, the official term would have been gobsmacked, while Hermione was wearing a modest blue one piece, his girlfriend was wearing an anything but modest black two piece bikini.

Whatever Hermione said in reply was lost on Harry though he caught the roll of her eyes before she walked past him and joined the others leaving him with Ginny "Hey"

"Hey yourself" replied the red head cocking her head to one side.

Harry couldn't help but let his eyes wander as he took in her form, as he did he had to fight the blush that rose in his cheeks, gone was the frail girl he had rescued out of the Chamber of Secrets all those years ago "You look..."

"...Nice?" she suggested with a coy smile.

"That's one word for it"

"Mmm, they match" her fingers brushed gently across the lightning shaped scar above his heart "I never thought about that" she rested her hand there, the monster in Harry's chest roared its pleasure while his pulse race away.

"Oi! What in Merlin's name is that!" Came a cry from the swimmers behind Harry's back.

"What's your problem Ronald" Ginny withdrew her hand to tie her hair up.

"That thing you're wearing" by now Ron was at the water's edge looking up at them on top of the bank.

"It's a perfectly acceptable swimsuit" she placed her hands on her hips and faced her brother in open defiance, again Harry couldn't help his eyes tracing the smooth arch of her back. He had to physically stop himself from looking any lower, it would have been asking for trouble especially with Ron standing only a few metres away from them.

"It's barely anything at all, what are you gonna do when mum sees you in that?"

"Unless you nark she won't, she's busy pottering around the front garden"

"Maybe I should go tell her that her only daughter is going around looking like..."

"How 'bout you keep your mouth shut and your opinions to yourself and I won't tell Hermione about what I found in your room after you three disappeared"

All eyes focused on Ron as he quickly glanced at Hermione and then back up to his sister who was sporting a triumphant smile "Deal!"

"Ha ha, Fail!" declared Dudley before splashing Ron and starting a water war between them.

"So what exactly did you find?" asked Harry

"Nothing, but Ron doesn't know that" she gave him a mischievous smile, turned and made a running leap into the water "Catch me if you can Potter!"

Not being one to turn down a challenge, especially not one with Ginny as the prize, Harry leapt in after her. He wasn't the strongest swimmer and it took him nearly ten minutes to catch his elusive prey, Harry was pretty sure that she let him seeing as by then they were on the far side of the slow moving river away from the others. Once he was close Ginny turned and pulled him to her, their lips crashed together, she hooked a leg around his own and Harry let himself be drawn to her.

It felt like she perfectly matched up against him and the pressure of her leg pushed their hips together startling Harry, his bodies reaction to his proximity to her made him uncomfortable but it appeared Ginny had no such qualms about it as she continued to press herself against him and locking Harry in place. Coming up for air between kisses Harry catalogued that he could feel the exact contours of her body and it didn't escape his notice that there was only a thin piece of material separating the two of them; he loved the feeling of warmth being generated between them while they were engulfed in cold river water.

At first Harry was supporting his body weight with his hands but a slight change in position freed them, unsure where to place his hands Harry did what came naturally and rubbed them up her side and onto her back, Ginny suddenly tensed and pulled away slightly, at first he thought he'd done something wrong and it took him a moment to realise that the skin beneath his fingers didn't feel smooth the way it should. He looked up into his girlfriend's eyes and she looked back at him as if daring him to say something, after a moment's pause her looked softened and Harry caught a glimpse of pain before she spoke "You're not the only one with scars Harry"

A thousand questions ran through Harry's head; where had these scars come from? Was it some unknown event from her past? Had she always had them? Or were they a more recent addition? He wasn't able to articulate any of these before a splash of water close behind them alerted them to someone else's presence. Ginny placed a kiss on his cheek and whispered "Ask me when we're alone, I promise"

"Hey you two this is a group activity, so unless you wanna do that stuff with Dudley you'll cut it out" announced Ron.

Harry and Ginny rejoined the others, they spent an enjoyable few hours having water fights, races, competitions, and generally just mucking around. It was late in the afternoon when Richard's appeared to inform Harry he had a visitor; he grabbed his shirt and towel, then followed the MLE agent back through the house and out the front where he found the last person he had expected to see.

"Oliver!" There standing at the gate was Oliver Wood, Harry's former quidditch captain and now reserve keeper for Puddlemere United.

"Potter, good to see you" he replied shaking Harry's hand.

"Come inside" he guided Oliver into the kitchen "Can I get you something?"

"A drink would be good" replied Wood.

From the pantry Harry retrieved a couple of pumpkin juice flasks and after casting a cooling charm on both he handed one to his guest "So how are things?" he asked sitting down at the table, he indicated for Wood to join him.

"Good, I'm engaged, her name's Fiona but we haven't set a date yet"

Harry beamed a smile at the man across the table from him "That's brilliant news"

"Oh I have even better news, our first string Keeper Holblok is retiring at the end of this season, he actually wanted to retire last season but the quidditch league disbanded and he wanted to give his fans a final farewell"

It was typical of Wood to rank quidditch news above that of personal but the excitement emanating off Wood was palpable and Harry couldn't help but feel his own enthusiasm rise in his presence "So what does this mean for you"

The man's grin grew from ear to ear "Well Holblok is only going to play the home games, so if the coach gives me the go ahead I'll be in line to play the away games, which is one step away from joining the first string squad"

"You'll be a shoe in" declared Harry, he held his flask up and toasted Wood's success.

With Wood's excitement being so infectious its sudden disappearance was quickly noticed, so it was with a sense of foreboding that Harry waited for him to speak again. The man fiddled with the flask in his hands for a few seconds before sitting upright and speaking softly "I suppose you know why I'm here?"

"Um..." Harry drew a blank as he tried to think of a reason.

"Well officially I'm here on behalf of Puddlemere to ah... encourage you to possible sign with the club" It made complete sense now, this was the first time Harry had seen Wood since he had left Hogwarts and it shouldn't have surprised him that this was why he was here "They want me to use my personal association with you to try and influence you, we know you've been made several offers..."

"You what?" exclaimed Ron excitedly from behind Harry's back, he turn to see the doorway to the kitchen crowded with four teenagers looking at him expectantly.

"Is that what those letters stuck behind your bed are about?" cried Ginny, in the back of his mind Harry noted that she had transfigured her bathing suit to match Hermione's before coming inside, the rest of his consciousness however was reeling from the revelation, this wasn't how he wanted his friends to find out, truth be told he wasn't sure he would ever have told them unless he had decided to accept one of the offers.

"Hang on, how do you know what's hidden behind his bed?" questioned Ron.

Ginny ignored him and pressed on "It is isn't it?" she must have seen some sort of confirmation in his body language because she suddenly turned and sprinted up the stairs.

"It's true?" asked Hermione, Harry had no other option but to nod, the truth was out.

His girlfriend arrived back in the kitchen carrying a handful of letters "The Wasps, the Arrows, the Falcons..."

"Ginny I want to know what you were doing on Harry's bed" demanded Ron but she persisted in ignoring her brother's questions and continued rifling through the envelopes "...the Bats, Puddlemere, the Cannons..."

The mention of his beloved Cannon's broke Ron's fixation "The Cannons, you got an offer from the Chudley Cannons, this is brilliant, you have to take it, for the love of Godric Gryffindor you have to take it!"

Harry however wasn't as excited about the situation as the others seemed to be "Read the letter" he suggested.

Ginny passed Ron the Cannons letter, he held it with reverence before carefully opening it and reading it, he studied the parchment three or four times before looking up at Harry crestfallen.

"What's wrong?" enquired Hermione, Harry glanced at Ginny and gestured for her to give Hermione a letter, when she had finished she looked confused "Why would Appleby offer you a position as a Keeper?"

It was Ron who answered sullenly "Because they're not trying to recruit Harry the Seeker, they're after the famous Harry Potter"

Reading those letters had hurt so much, he wasn't sure if he would have done it but he would have loved having the opportunity, to know he was good enough, but now it was all tainted. Every club, except for obvious reasons the Harpies, had offered him multiple positions. Most of the offers, like Puddlemere's, were to play Chaser or Beater, the Cannons on the other hand had offered him any position he wanted.

"Indeed" confirmed Wood "I was sent here on behalf of Puddlemere to try and persuade him, I have to admit Harry I was in two minds about whether to refuse"

"You've got a job to do Oliver, I don't hold it against you" said Harry the ball of anguish which resides in his stomach grew ever larger.

"In that case Harry" Wood stood formally and said "On behalf of Philbert Deverill, manager of Puddelmere United, I would like to formally offer you your choice of a position as first string Beater or Chaser..." Wood let out a calming breath before sitting down and looking directly at him "... But as your friend I'd suggest you tell them to shove it" there was a series of stifled sniggers from around the kitchen "Harry you're a Seeker and a damn good one, pro level good, if somebody is offering you a Seeker slot and you want to take I think you'd be fantastic, forget about the reasons for the offer, take it and run with it, show the other teams what they missed out on"

"I'll think about it" placated Harry, he really wasn't convinced, even now thinking about it angered him.

"Atta boy" cheered Ron.

"There was another reason I came" admitted Wood "I don't know if you're aware but there is a charity dinner the league hosts every year"

"Um yeah, there was an invite in a couple of the letters" confirmed Harry "but I didn't really think too much about them"

"Entry is the cost of a plate which goes to charity, you get a formal dinner, there's dancing and all you have to do is listen to a couple of speeches"

"That sounds delightful, what's this in aid of?" asked Mrs Weasley as she bustled into the room.

"This year the committee unanimously decided to support the Ministry's War Orphan Fund" confirmed Wood "There's a large number of children left without parents since the war and while the Ministry has been trying to match them up with families it's a slow process"

"If only..." Mrs Weasley mused, everyone knew she was a very compassionate witch "I'll leave you boys to your meeting" she was almost out of the room when she stopped and added "Oh and Ginevra we'll have a talk about what the definition of appropriate attire is later shall we"

Ginny turned bright red as her mother left but kept her head up defiantly while Harry and Wood continued their conversation. It was plain for Harry to see that this was a good cause but he still had reservations "What about the press, won't they have a field day if I show up?"

"It's a celebrity event Harry, half the quidditch league will be there, plus there are no reporters inside, the only press requirement is that you walk the red carpet so the gossip rags can get their pics, if you chose to you can make a statement but the reporters there have an understanding that no questions are to be asked" reassured Wood "It's all very managed and once inside that's it"

Taking a breath Harry contemplated his options, other than the cost of the plate attending wouldn't cost him anything other than a level of privacy, the question he had to ask himself was how much did he value that privacy? Could he put a price on it? Harry looked to his compatriots for some sort of guidance but they all gave him noncommittal shrugs "Winky!" he called after coming to a decision.

The house-elf popped into existence beside him "Master Harry calls Winky?"

Ignoring the huff and scorn coming from Hermione, Harry turned to the elf "I received some letters recently, inside one there was an invite to..."

"Harry Potter received invite to 198th Annual Quidditch League Charity Ball, Winky has written reply declining invitation and just requires Master's signature" stated the tiny creature proudly

"Ah yeah, I've changed my mind"

The elfs ears flopped down in disappointment until one of her ears perked back up "Does this mean Harry Potter is attending?"

"Yes"

"Is Master Harry requiring of Winky to make arrangements?" the elf's second ear joined the first, they both quivered with anticipation.

"If that's something you want to do" Harry wasn't exactly sure what there was to organise but he didn't want to upset the creature. He was suddenly bombarded with a series of highly excited questions "Is Master bringing a date? Is Master's companions joining him? Is..."

"Ah..." He turn to Wood "This is gonna sound bad but how much does a plate to one of these things cost?"

"150 Galleons"

Ron whistle when heard the cost, Harry meanwhile was chewing over the amount, he wouldn't let one to the others but he still had a substantial sum of money left in his trust fund and at the rate he actually spent it the majority of that amount would still be there at his retirement "Ok then Ginny you want to go?" She looked around nervously at being singled out but quickly nodded "Ron? Hermione? It's on me?"

"Hold on mate I don't want you spending that kinda cash on me" If he had thought about it Harry would've expected that answer from Ron, his best friend tended to be somewhat particular when it came to money, perhaps he should have worded his remark differently.

"I'm not spending it on you Ron, it's for charity" but the wizard still looked unconvinced.

"Well I would like to take you up on the offer Harry, thank you" declared Hermione, she turned to Ron "I thought maybe you could go as my date Ronald?" It didn't matter how many times he saw them together it always brought a sudden sense of warmth to see Ron struck dumb and go goo-goo eyed at his bushy haired girlfriend, he was so infatuated with her and, whether he liked to admit it or not, always had been as far as Harry could remember.

"Big D, you and Aunt Petunia?" he couldn't not invite his cousin but he felt that perhaps the Dursleys might be a little uncomfortable in this setting, apparently this was a view shared by Dudley "Thanks for the offer Harry but I don't think so, mum just wants to settle down and keep things quiet, plus I don't think we'd fit in being a couple of muggles"

Harry understood perfectly "I'd also like to buy plates for Molly & Arthur" he informed Winky "Gin your mum and dad will want to come?" He could see Ron mouthing 'Molly' to Hermione but he ignored him, he wasn't sure if he would ever get used to using their first names but he'd told Mr Weasley he would try.

"Yeah definitely, mum'll love the idea of a night out" confirmed Ginny.

"So can you make the arrangements for me Winky?"

The house-elf was literally bouncing with happiness at the prospect, she immediately starting unloading numerous questions at Harry faster than he could keep up. While he was engaged with the elf he was vaguely aware of Wood saying his goodbyes, he promised to send personal invitations to Mr & Mrs Weasley on Harry's behalf.

* * *

The absence of Hermione Granger from the Burrow was very noticeable for Harry, not only did he miss his friend who he had been through so much with but Ron would at times mope around the house complaining about her not being there. What it really affected though was Harry's secret broom project; Hermione was the one who distracted Ginny while Ron and Harry 'exercised'. Dudley attempted to take over her role the first morning she was away but failed miserably almost leading to their discovery. To make matters worse Ginny had decided that she would join the two of them for their morning exercise regimen, commenting that it would be good for her come time for quidditch, but this meant that they actually had to do a full workout every morning, something that Ron was not entirely pleased about.

For the past week in order to finish his project Harry had taken to waking very early in the morning to work on it, unfortunately Ron wasn't very happy about this either, he had never been an early riser and most of the time Harry was unable to wake his roommate and so ended up doing the by himself. This was why at four o'clock in the morning he was sneaking outside when he came across someone camped outside.

"Charlie?" the wizard was lying in a hammock he had strung up just beyond the back door, several slowly rotating balls of dark red flames crackled as they floated around him, as Harry stepped into their glow he was infused with a warmth so strong he felt like he was basking in the midday sun.

"Morning Harry, what brings you outside at this time of morning?" asked the red head not moving from his spot.

"I could ask you the same thing"

"Well that's simple enough to explain... Your cousin snores" Harry had to smirk to himself, Dudley wasn't the only one, occasionally Ron did too "Plus I miss the outdoors, at the reserve we often spend nights out under the stars"

"Do you miss it?" Harry had never heard Charlie talk about his work much and of late he found himself very interested in what goes on in the world and the various vocations available out there.

"Yeah mate, a lot, it's hard to describe, the landscape there is rugged and raw, untouched by human hand, the nights you spend away from the camp it's just you, the elements and the stars"

"...and the dragons" noted Harry.

"True, you do have them to worry about but for the most part you're perfectly safe, dragons are big and aggressive but really they're simple creatures, their actions are just misinterpreted, they really are quite beautiful once you understand them"

Harry could hear the wistful nostalgia as Charlie spoke, the longing "Are you going back?"

Charlie looked up at him and gave a resigned grimace "Don't tell mum but I was thinking of leaving in a few weeks, I'm just waiting for things to settle down a bit, I know she'd love me to stay but... you know I keep finding the Prophet in my room at night, it's always opened to the classifieds where there's an ad for a keeper at the Welsh reserve, mum's real subtle sometimes"

"Why not transfer?"

"Well firstly I have a life in Romania, friends and such, a reputation and I fit in there..."

"And secondly?" Harry heard Charlie huff before he replied.

"I'm going to give you a bit of advice here Harry, whether this year or the next, the moment you finish Hogwarts get out of this house" At first he thought Charlie was joking but the look on his face was full of sincerity "There is a reason that me and Bill both fled the country after we finished school, my mother means well and it starts off slow, but she'll try and love you to death, at first she begins with suggestively positioned papers" he held up yesterday morning's Prophet "soon that leads to her setting up job interviews and, if you're unlucky enough to be single, dates without asking, even if you do have a job she'll be on to you for something better, plus once the house is empty she feels the need to keep busy by doing chores and it's only fair you do your share too" despite the current rant Harry knew the love and affection all of Molly Weasley's children felt for her and he could see it on Charlie's face as he lay in his hammock envisaging his mothers fussing "So my advice to you is to do what Fred... and George did and bail as soon as you're out of school"

The two of them stayed in silence for awhile listening to the crackling flames and the sounds of the early morning animals, Harry had heard the hitch when Charlie had mentioned his brother's name, it was always there, even for those who were healing Fred's loss was still raw. He didn't know why he said it but Harry suddenly blurted out "I'm worried about George"

"You've noticed it too"

"He refuses to come out of his room, he's even stopped going up to Fred's chair, he's locking himself away and there are letters..."

"Letters?"

Harry didn't want to admit he was snooping but it was too late now "You know that pile of letters that's been growing outside his door, well the other morning I came down and accidently kicked them on my way past, I was just going to collect them and put them back, there were a couple from Angelina Johnston and one from Lee Jordan, but what really caught my eye was one address to both Fred and George, it had the Diagon Alley Business Board logo embossed on it. I didn't open it or anything but there was an article in the Prophet not too long ago about the Board repossessing abandoned businesses in the Alley and I'm afraid the two might be connected"

Charlie nodded and contemplated the news "I think I need to talk to Bill, it might be time we staged an intervention" he paused for a moment before switching gears "So Harry you wanna tell me you reason for being out here this early?"

He couldn't help looking over his shoulder to ensure they were alone before explaining to Charlie about his project, it was a bit of luck that Harry had run into Charlie because when wizard was younger he had built his own broom from scratch and offered to share his expertise.

* * *

"Harry... Harry..." called Mrs Weasley from the kitchen, they had just finished dinner and all the youngsters were watching as Dudley took on Ginny at wizards chess, Harry was having to move the pieces for him because they refused to listen to a muggle.

"Take over Ron" he moved into the kitchen where the adults were chatting, Petunia was still adjusting to her environment but she could manage a civil conversation with the others in the household as long as they remembered to treat her as a muggle, if they starting talking using magical terms she tended to get a bit tight lipped, Harry felt this was more a defence mechanism for her lack of understanding rather than her old prejudices resurfacing. "You called Molly... Mrs Weasley"

A snigger from Charlie let him know that his failed attempt at using the Weasley matriarchs first name hadn't gone unnoticed, however Mrs Weasley simply beamed a smile back at him before saying "You've got a floo call dear" she pointed to the fire where a familiar face sat amongst the green flames.

"Katie!" he greeted his old team mate.

"Hey Harry, how's things?" she returned.

"Good, actually Oliver Wood stopped by the other day, you hear he's probably going first string next season?"

"That's great" she seemed outwardly cheerful at the news but Harry was sure something else was on her mind.

"Katie, what's wrong?"

She hesitated for a moment before speaking "Harry you haven't seen Angelina recently have you?"

"No, not since the funeral" concern suddenly flooded his mind "Is she alright?"

"I don't think so, ever since Fred's..." she gestured as if saying the word '_funeral_' was too hard "Angelina's been really sad, I mean she's been making herself sick with grief, actually throwing up sometimes" even through the flames Harry could see his friend was crying "And now she's up and run away, I'm really worried, nobody's seen her since yesterday"

"Do you need help looking?" in his mind he quickly ran through the different places he could think of looking but in reality he didn't know Angelia that well and other than looking in Hogsmeade he wasn't sure where else they could try.

"No, we've got people out looking everywhere, I was just hoping she might have contacted one of you"

"Not as far as I know, I could ask George though he's had some letters from her"

"Thanks Harry"

"I'll be back" he got to his feet and rushed up the stairs to the second floor landing and knocked on George's door, looking at the floor Harry noted a pile of ash where the letters had once been.

"What!" barked George from the other side.

"It's Harry, Katie's calling through the floo, and she wants to know if you know where Angelina is?"

"I don't care!"

"She's missing, we just want to know if you've heard any..."

"I... Don't... Care!" each word was punctuated by something hitting the other side of the door, the last one shattering.

"George..."

"For Merlin's sake Harry, FUCK OFF!"

Coming back down the stairs Harry was still so shocked by George's behaviour that he had to steady himself before entering the kitchen.

"No luck?" asked Charlie, he was the only one left in the kitchen the others had moved out into the lounge.

"Sorry Katie" said Harry to the fireplace.

"It was worth a shot, I'll let you know if she turns up" with that Katie's head disappeared and the flames returned to normal.

"So George didn't have any ideas"

"Not exactly..." replied Harry trying not to sound too overly concerned.

But Charlie wasn't fooled "What does that mean?"

Harry evaluated that the best way to communicate what had happened was to tell Charlie the whole thing, by the time he had finished Charlie's face had darkened considerably "Go get Ron while I contact Bill" he grabbed a handful of floo powder "Oh and Harry make sure mum doesn't figure out what's happening"

Following Charlie's instructions Harry slipped into the lounge and grabbed Ron, Ginny gave him a puzzled look but didn't press any further when he shook his head at her. They managed to sneak away and arrived in the kitchen at the same moment that Fleur and Bill came through the floo "Hey little brothers" greeted Bill "Harry"

" 'Ello 'Arry" Fleur placed a kiss on Harry's cheeks and turned to her husband "I am to distract maman, non?" Bill gave her a nod and she left the four of them in the kitchen.

"Right, this is an intervention, we are going to take George out to have a good time" declared Bill.

"What about my friends outside?" said Harry referring to his minders.

Charlie gave him a wink "What they don't know won't stop us" he grabbed Ron and went upstairs, before long they came down carrying their unconscious brother between them "We had to stun him, he was starting to make too much noise"

Bill was non-pulsed by the news "Right first stop Shell Cottage, then we can figure out where to go from there, Harry you go first"

Harry moved to the fire, threw in a handful of floo powder and announced his destination, the last thing he heard before spinning away was Ron asking "Hey can we pick up Hermione too"


	10. Intimate Information

**Sorry for the long wait but I got bogged down with Uni work and for some reason despite all the practice I put in the spell for making this chapter write itself just wouldn't work. At any rate, enjoy.**

* * *

Intimate Information

Consciousness gradually crept up on Harry, but even as the first tendrils of wakefulness had taken hold he was becoming aware that something was wrong. Instead of the nice comfy bed he had expected to wake up on, he was lying face down on a cold hard surface. He must have been laying there for awhile because he could feel dried spittle around his mouth, partially adhering him to the floor. Harry tried to lick his lips but his mouth was dry, like it was filled with the cotton balls they used at the school dentist. It took him a few tries to encourage out some saliva. A probe of his lips with his tongue provided him with the taste blood and revealed that they were split and swollen.

Carefully Harry tried opening his eyes, if he was in the type of trouble he thought he was in he didn't want other people to see he was awake. Unfortunately for him someone must have removed his glasses. Everything appeared bright and blurry, and he only managed to look around for a half a second before a blinding pain forced his eyes closed. The pain started in his head and radiated throughout his entire body. Harry's mind was foggy and couldn't make sense of much but he knew what the after affects of the cruciatus curse felt like. He moved his limbs enough to know that he wasn't bound by rope or magic, he was probably in a cell of some sort. A searing pain in his calf muscle suggested he had been hit there by some kind of spell.

Whatever had happened Harry had no recollection of the event, despite his dazed and throbbing head he tried thinking back, the last full memory he had was of leaving the Burrow, after that... _Listening to Charlie explain how once, during his last year at Hogwarts, Fred had dosed him with a love potion. It made him fall for the entire Slytherin quidditch team... Bill returning from the kitchen with a bottle of elf-made wine... looking up at the stars... a narrow cobblestone street... a shout, a fist, an explosion of pain in his face... running with Ron down an alley... a stabbing pain in his calf... _after that the memories become more indistinct; shouts, yelling, laughter, crying out.

After an age of effort Harry still had no idea what had happened to him, the harder he tried to summon up the memories the worse his head began to throb, making it more and more difficult for him to remember anything. Ultimately Harry had to give up trying to recall the events when he heard a pair of footsteps approaching behind him. A deep voice whispered to its companion "I was sent up here to fetch them and found them like this, I tried waking them but they're out of it"

It wasn't much but at least Harry now knew that he was being held upstairs and that the Death Eaters, or whoever they were, also held someone else, probably one of the Weasleys who had been with him last night. Harry feverently hoped that the others had survived and that the alarm had been raised. His mind raced as he tried to work out what to do, he had only just concluded that his best bet was to try and stay quiet in order to listen for more information when one of his jailers kicked his leg causing him to scream out. The placement of the kick was too perfect, whoever it was must have known that Harry had a wound there, probably from the spell that had brought him down and led to his capture. Instinctively Harry rolled over, pulled out his wand and was about to fire a curse at his enemies when heard one of them cry out "Oh Merlin, I'm sorry Harry!"

...

Sorry? Why would a Death Eater say sorry?... Also if he was a prisoner why did he have a wand still?...

...

Harry's mind kicked in a final clue, the voice he had just heard was extremely familiar, it was a voice he could never forget "Gin?"

"Um Harry... what's with the wand?" she replied tentatively.

Cracking his eyes open Harry could vaguely make out the shape of his girlfriend and cousin standing in the doorway, it took him a moment to register he still had his wand trained on the pair "Sorry" he said dropping it to his side.

Slowly Ginny approached him before reaching for something on the floor, gently she placed Harry's glasses on instantly clearing up his vision, the sudden change made his stomach lurch "What the hell happened to you?" her voice was louder than his ears could handle, pain shot through his head in punishment.

"Shh! Not so loud"

"Seriously Harry... wait is that a black eye?" her fingers gently caressed they skin above his cheek; even though she was only lightly touching the area Harry could feel the heat and tenderness of the tissue there. Ginny sat back slightly and studied his face "Both your eyes are bloodshot... hold on" she grinned maniacally and cackled as she skipped over to Dudley and then, in a voice that sounded as though all her Christmases had come at once, announced "He's hung-over! Ron probably is too, this is brilliant!"

"Shh!" complained Harry as he sunk to the floor, he experienced a mixture of relief and regret as he lay there.

"Oi" Harry glanced over to see Ginny jabbing at Ron, who was sprawled half on top of his covers. Despite a number of rather vicious prods she elicited nothing more than a disgruntled groan from her brother

"Told you, dead to the world" commented Dudley from the doorway "Anyway Mrs Weasley says to tell you breakfast is ready"

Harry was in two minds about whether or not he wanted to eat right now, he felt nauseous but he wondered whether food might help settle that down, his current plan of lying with his eyes closed wasn't working because the room kept spinning.

"And Harry..."

"Yeah Dudley"

"...I hope you feel miserable"

"Huh?" Harry cracked an eye at his cousin who was grinning evilly

"You left me behind to play chess all night"

"Fair enough" Harry had to give him that.

Dudley chuckled at him, turned and went down the stairs.

Ginny shook her head at the exchange "It's nice to see you and your cousin are getting along" Harry couldn't tell if she was being serious or not, at this point he honestly didn't care "You really look like crap Harry, I wish Hermione was here to see it"

"Hmm" a distinctly feminine voice issued from the far side of Ron's bed

Harry and Ginny looked at each other, Ginny peered at the bed before looking back at Harry and shaking her head, Harry shrugged his shoulders, he didn't know anything more than she did

"Hermione?" tried Ginny again

"Hmm" this time the voice was more distinct and accompanied by rustling

Wanting to make sure what he was hearing was what he thought he was, Harry scrambled to his feet. He had to fight a momentary episode of vertigo and an increase in the degree of his headache but he was able to see a head shaped object push up from within Ron's lurid orange sheets. Eventually the person within pulled clear of their entanglement, the head and neck of a very frazzled Hermione popped up, her hair flouncing down over her eyes. She sat there motionless.

"You awake Hermione?" asked Harry

"Harry?" her head tracked to face him still hidden beneath her hair "What are you doing in my bedroom?"

"...This is my room"

She blew a chunk of hair out of the way and with a surly expression glanced around. Harry could see his friend looked as bad as he felt "How did I end up here?"

"Um..." Harry didn't know how to answer seeing as how he couldn't remember either.

"Hermione..." the witch swivelled back to look at Ginny "are you... you know... wearing anything under..." she gestured to the sheet that currently covered her friend's body.

"Huh?" a look of confusion passed over her face as she looked down, she plucked at the sheet and gasped.

Hermione's reaction was enough to set the cogs in motion in Harry's head, suddenly it all connected – Ron & Hermione in the same bed, the memory of various sounds and muffled cries

"Oh God!" they both cried in unison

An image of the act his two best friends had just committed scorched Harry's mental eye "While I was in the room?" he yelled, but his cry of indignation was drowned out by Ron's scream as he hit the floor. Hermione had tried to roll herself in the covers but Ron's upper torso had been lying across on top of them, when she had pulled at them it had unceremoniously dumped her boyfriend onto the floor and he had landed with all his weight on one of his shoulders.

"Argh!" Ron lay there clutching his shoulder while Ginny laughed and Hermione shrieked apologies from beneath the duvet.

"Oh this is just perfect, if nothing else I just want to be able to remember this moment" cackled Ginny

"Shove off Ginny" growled Ron pushing himself to a sitting position and attempting to cover himself with the small section of sheet that was hanging off the bed "I was sleeping you know"

"So was Hermione" replied the redheaded witch evilly.

Ron looked at her as if she had grown a second head before turning a bright crimson red "That's none of your business" he tried to stand up and tower over his shorter sibling, but it was hard for him to be intimidating while clutching a piece of material to protect his dignity.

"What happened to your arm?" asked Harry

"I fell on it when Ginny woke me up"

"No I mean that" Harry pointed to the large bandage he had seen; the piece of material covered a square on the outside of Ron's upper bicep.

Ron looked down at the object in question "I dunno" he began picking at the edge but obviously took too long for Ginny's liking because she stepped across to him and tore it off in one go "Argh!"

There was a stunned silence as everyone ogled Ron's shoulder, emblazoned upon it on a bright orange background where two large, overlapping C's and miniature cannon which periodically fired tiny cannon balls around his arm "It's a tattoo" cried Ginny "You got a tattoo!" she took several large calming breaths then turned and looked at Harry, excitement dancing across her face.

Harry had been about to join her in mocking his unfortunate friend when she dove at him and pulled up his trouser leg, a ripping sound and a jolt of pain told him she had found what she was looking for "A Horntail!, it's a Horntail!" of all the things he could have gotten tattooed onto his body Harry was thankful that it was only a Horntail, at least dragons were somewhat _cool_. Looking down at it he could see that the rendering of the animal was perfect, every detail was as he remembered it. Even the creature's personality was accurate; it bristled and snarled as it stalked around his leg.

While he was studying the creature Harry missed the start of the confrontation between Ginny and Hermione but he looked up when heard Hermione growl "Come any closer and I swear I'll hex you into next week Ginevra Weasley" she had her wand out and was pointing it at the other witch. Ron was sitting on the bed carefully watching the interaction.

"Come on Hermione, you know where there's two, there's three" pleaded Ginny but the wand point was unwavering "Fine" she looked at the three of them with the most satisfied smile Harry had ever seen.

"You can't tell anyone about this" declared Ron, this time it was his turn to be looked at as though he had grown an extra appendage

"Sure thing boss" replied Ginny sarcastically, she rolled her eyes and turned towards the door

"I mean it, I forbid you"

"Good luck with that" she laughed as she skipped down the stairs

"Dammit" Ron abandoned his protective sheet, grabbed a pair of boxers from the floor and hopped after his sister, trying to put the boxers on as he went

He was barely out of sight when Mrs Weasley was heard to yell "RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY! YOU COME HERE THIS VERY INSTANT!"

Harry looked over at Hermione, she appeared sickly pale and was looking nervously towards the stairs "Are you ok?"

"Whatever do you mean?" she replied facetiously "Am I ok that I consumed way too much alcohol last night? Am I ok that what was supposed to be a private and intimate event was shared with two of my friends? Or that I can barely remember disjointed pieces of that event – something that I was supposed to remember for the rest of my life?" she scowled at him "Because all of that is pretty much making me feel nauseous"

Despite his lagging faculties Harry wasn't too oblivious to notice Hermione trying to surreptitiously wipe away a tear. He moved to her bedside and tried to comfort her as best he could. He didn't want to pry but there were certain questions he felt it his duty as her friend to ask "Did you not want this to happen?"

"Oh Harry no that's not it at all" she replied "I'm not upset that we... did... what we did" Harry was thankful that she was tiptoeing around the subject, he didn't need any more mental images than he already had "It's just the way it happened, I always imagined it would be like it is in the books, special and memorable"

"But those books aren't real"

"How would you know Harry? You've never read one of those books in your life" he suspected she was just trying to make light of the situation so he waited for her to answer his question, eventually she spoke again "I knew it wasn't going to be like that, I just never thought it would be like this either"

"I'm sorry it didn't work out the way you wanted... I could always obliviate you" offered Harry jokingly "Ron too, I'll even throw in erasing his obsession with the Cannons for free"

"How would you explain the tattoo on his arm?"

"...Drunken dare" he said after a moments consideration

He received a playful shove from Hermione "How about I take care of that eye of yours, I think I remember what Mrs Weasley for me after that time I used one of the twin's products. Close your eyes"

Harry did as he was instructed, within a few seconds he could feel a tingling sensation sweeping to and fro across the area. The feeling stopped and was almost instantly replaced by a set of lips as Hermione gave him a kiss on his freshly repaired cheek "You really are quite sweet Harry Potter". Receiving compliments had never been his strong point and he avoided her eye once his were open. Hermione grimaced as she inspected her handiwork "It's not perfect but the swellings gone down and it's much better than it was, with any luck people might just think you need a good night's sleep". She settled back against the wall, sitting at right angles to him with the covers drawn up around her neck she asked "Do you have any idea how you got it?"

"No clue, last thing I remember clearly was leaving for Shell Cottage. After that it just gets blurry and to be honest I'm not too keen on knowing more specifics at the moment" He gave her a grin which conveyed what he was talking about.

She glowered at him before giving him a playful shove "Get on with you, go save Ron before he says something stupid. I need to get dressed before Mrs Weasley comes up and finds me like this in her son's bed"

* * *

Harry trotted down the stairs, the entire journey down he could hear the muffled argument from the kitchen getting louder and louder. At the bottom of the stairs he found Ginny looking apprehensive as she listened in. She perked up when she saw him but her expression quickly soured "The giant git ran downstairs without a shirt on, so of course hawk-eyed mum noticed it straight away"

"Great" noted Harry, he wasn't really in the best of conditions to be in the same room as Ron as he received one of Mrs Weasley's infamous tongue lashings. He was about to enter when Ginny stepped in front of him, she had that mischievous glint in her eye that Harry loved so much "You didn't by chance find out anymore about Hermione's tat' did you?"

"No"

"Useless" she huffed.

"What was I supposed to do? Spy on her while she got changed?" he had meant it as a joke but he had barely finished the words before Ginny took off up towards Ron's bedroom. Putting all of that aside Harry steadied himself then pushed open the kitchen door slightly.

"I'm eighteen mum, I can do what I like!" Ron made quite a sight, still clad only his boxers, he was standing defiantly, not more than a metre and a half from his mother who was burning with anger. Other than the fact that the Weasley matriarch had obviously seen Ron's tattoo Harry didn't know what else she was aware of. As much as he didn't want to go in and be yelled at he couldn't let his best friend go through it all alone.

Very carefully Harry slipped in while Mrs Weasley unloaded her latest salvo "You can also do as you're told, I never thought I'd see one of my children defile themselves in such a way, I mean it was bad enough when Bill brought home that horrid earring but this... you don't see Charlie going off and doing something like this despite spending the entire night out drinking with his brothers" she glowered at George and Charlie who both lying face down on the table. Fleur was standing at their backs and discretely mouthed an apology to Harry when she saw him enter the room.

"Harry!" cried Mrs Weasley when she noticed him as well "Have you seen what my son has gone and done to himself?" she gestured franticly at Ron's shoulder

"Oh yeah" said Harry, Mrs Weasley apparently didn't suspect Harry of having committed a similar offense "It was a couple wee..."

"Days" supplied Ron

"...Days ago" continued Harry uncertainly "Looks kind of cool" he tried to finish with conviction but he could tell by the looks on the others faces that they weren't convinced.

Mrs Weasley merely tutted at his evident lack of taste and after giving the offending object on Ron's arm one final frown she turned back to the food she was preparing. Fleur took advantage of Mrs Weasley having her back turned and darted to Harry's side " 'Ermione, she is with you no?" she whispered

"Upstairs"

"Bonté de remerciement" she muttered, Fleur gave Harry a pat on the shoulder then moved back to the other end of the kitchen "Maman, I must be away, Bill too is suffering from 'is excesses"

Harry and Ron made good their escape while the two witches were exchanging goodbyes, George too took advantage of the window of opportunity "Man are we glad to find you here" he muttered ushering them upstairs, he stood at the entrance to his room for a few seconds and then nudged the door open "Come in"

Both Harry and Ron hesitated. Harry had never been into the twin's room before, it was always a locked door behind which, he imagined, sat a plethora of indescribable mysteries. He glanced at Ron who was having his own misgivings and the two of them stood in the entrance way unsure of what to do until George grabbed them by the wrists and dragged them across the threshold.

The room itself was deceptively large; like most of the rooms at the Burrow it must have been magically expanded because the far wall stretched well beyond where the external wall existed. Close to the door there were two beds, each was pressed up against the wall on opposite sides of the room, surrounding them where hundreds of oddball creations, muggle and wizarding toys alike. The walls were a kaleidoscope of colours splattered around at random, hundreds of photos adorned the spaces between objects giving a who's who of the twin's friends and chronicling their combined histories from infancy, through Hogwarts right up until the opening of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes.

Harry was slightly overawed by it all, he couldn't help but flit between the various photos, the one of WWW's grand opening nearly brought a tear to his eye, there was Fred and George standing in front of the store, wearing the most gregarious outfits, putting on a show for the masses of witches and wizards awaiting the stores unveiling.

George had skipped right past the beds and could be seen rummaging at the far end, between them was obviously the space where the twins had done all their inventing. In it a couple of empty cauldrons sat idly near to what Harry recognised as an apothecary's chest, complete with hundreds of little compartments for various ingredients. The walls here were barren of any decoration but instead were covered in hundreds of scorch marks and the burnt & melted remnants of many a failed experiment.

The far end, where George was, stood in stark contrast to the rest, where formerly random chaos ruled, here everything was in perfect order. Two pristine desks sat side by side, with numerous trays and holders used to organise various bits of stationery. The walls here where covered in orderly rows of parchments, closer inspection revealed them to be an assortment of ingredient lists, instructions, recipes, order forms and sketches. If Harry hadn't seen it for his own eyes he would never have believed it, this was more like what he imagined Hermione's room to look like.

"I know we had some somewhere" groused George hurriedly opening and slamming draws until finally standing triumphantly with a flask of muddy green liquid "It looks as crap as you feel but it'll help" George unstoppered the flask and took a swig of the revolting looking liquid. He coughed and spluttered for a moment but Harry could see the relief wash over the wizard's face, a similar performance followed when the flask was passed to Ron.

When Harry was handed the bottle he could see that the contents swirling within was the consistency of curdled milk, he had to overcome a sudden surge of queasiness before taking a mouthful. It was everything he had imagined; a lumpy, semi-solid texture which tasted like the ants he had tried once as a kid. It was almost as bad as the boiled Mandrake potion he had just finished taking for his shoulder. As he tried to swallow bile arose within his throat, he almost gagged but as the two liquids met the potions calming affect took hold. Immediately his stomach settled, the pain in his head subsided and the aching tension in his body lessened, while the effects didn't completely remove his hangover Harry felt a thousand times better.

"Better than a bite from a Niffler" gloated George "Mum has a rule about hangovers _'If you're big enough to deal with alcohol, you're big enough to deal with the consequences'_, she doesn't believe in keeping a hangover cure in the house so me 'n Fred made our own"

"Wait that was your own creation?" asked Ron, suddenly horrified by what he had just ingested, Harry too felt a little apprehension.

"Its fine" placated George "We've been using it for years... just if your pee turns purple it's perfectly normal"

"Gee thanks" muttered Ron

"I take it that's my bad" said George pointing to the residual bruising around Harry's eye

"Yeah care to explain that?"

"Well we were at the club..."

"A club?" this was news to Harry, he'd never imagined that they had gone out in public like that

"...The Lion's Den, it's a club just off Diagon Alley, Gryffindors only, the entrance is guarded by a goblin and a couple of security trolls... you don't remember? You and Ron signed the trolls club, said you knew the bloke..." Harry and Ron shared a look of uncertainty "Anyway we were there and Charlie said something about a girl he saw dancing, then I made a comment and then you might have said something about Ginny... I don't remember specifics, but Charlie had to pull me off you and that's when you three scarpered"

Harry and Ron exchanged glances but neither knew anything that contradicted this story, Harry was suddenly worried about what he had said to George about Ginny that would set him off like that but apparently the other wizard was unconcerned "It was lucky for you three that you did cos mum thinks the sun shines out your arses and hasn't even connected you to last night"

"Yeah" sighed Harry in relief, he ran his hands through his hair as he considered the situation, he didn't like the idea of lying to Mrs Weasley but in saying that nobody wants to get in trouble.

"Oi" whispered George harshly towards the room's entrance, Ginny and Hermione had just been passing at the time, both stopped and looked uncertainly towards them. Entering the room they looked around like tourists in a foreign land before joining the others "You can't go downstairs dressed like that Hermione, you'll blow the whole thing"

She had dressed in what Harry assumed was her outfit from last night: a sequined purple halter neck top, a silky black skirt and high heels. Anyone seeing her in that get up would have no trouble connecting the dots.

"Bill, Charlie and George are the only ones nicked so far for last night, if we can sneak you out undetected our noses will be cleaner than a house-elf's bathroom" confirmed Ron.

"I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with this" commented Hermione nervously.

"Don't worry, it's a Weasley family tradition, what we get away with we can't be punished for" provide George with an impish smile.

"How do you propose to do that?" enquired Hermione, she was addressing George and though Ron may not have realised it for the moment, Harry could tell his 'house-elf' comment hadn't gone unnoticed

"I dunno, I suppose we could distract mum while Ron and..." started George but he was cut off midsentence by his sister.

"How about we leave this to the professional, I've been sneaking out of this house since I was six" announced Ginny proudly "First we'll start by getting Ron to put a shirt on, I'm tired of looking at your scrawny little body" she tossed a dirty one of George's from the floor at her brother "Secondly Hermione we'll have to do something about that skirt it's not exactly made for climbing in"

After making sure the coast was clear the two witches disappeared up the stairs, leaving George, Harry and a dismayed looking Ron "I'm not that bad" he complained

"Really bro do some press-ups or something, I have an image to uphold" George grabbed the flask of homemade hangover cure and was heading for the door but stopped just short of leaving "... I just wanted to say thanks, you know, for last night..." he said solemnly "I really do appreciate what you guys said last night. I've been hiding out of late, and I shouldn't have, I know that."

"Out there..." George gestured towards the door "I get reminded every second that he's gone. I keep waiting for someone to finish my sentence, to pass me something without asking. I feel like I'm lost without him, like I've got no purpose... At least in here I can fool myself that he's still alive, just off having a shower or something..." the morose wizard forlornly fingered a photo of him and his brother wearing their quidditch gear. The twins in the picture were waving back exuberantly, each trying to outdo the others efforts.

Ron approached his sibling "Fred was my brother too, it's not quite the same but I miss him and I know he wouldn't want you to live the rest of your life like this"

"We're here for you if you need us, we want to help" offered Harry

"I don't know what to do" mumbled George

"How about you start by having a look through the shop" suggested Ron

Harry could see an element of panic momentarily rise up within George "It's probably a good idea, especially if you want to avoid losing the business outright before you're ready to make a decision"

"Huh?" asked George confused.

Harry explained what he knew about the Diagon Alley Business Board's plans and the consequences if no activity was seen soon at Weasley Wizarding Wheezes.

"I'll come with you" offered Ron "We don't have to do anything drastic, we've already cleaned it up, might be a good idea to get an inventory, see what you need to do to be ready to reopen if you decide that's what you want to do"

Ron and Harry were tiptoeing carefully around this subject, they didn't want to push George too hard but they both knew that something had to be done soon about the store or else it was likely George would lose the store and that would be a tragedy.

"Yeah maybe" mumbled George "I should really get this down to Charlie, he said he was off to visit some friends this arvo and I don't want him splinching himself" he waved the flask in his hand at them and set off down the stairs

XXXXX

Harry knocked on his girlfriend's door, his heart fluttered and nerves tingled nervously as he waited "Come in" she chimed from inside, he entered to find Ginny at her desk she appeared to be taking notes from a giant, ancient looking text that she had propped up before her.

He took a seat on the end of the bed "Hey you"

"Hi" greeted Ginny swivelling away from her work to face him "And what brings you to my humble abode"

"Everyone else is out, Charlie's off visiting, George and Ron are at the Alley, your dad's at work and your mum took my aunt & cousin shopping in town"

She got up and sauntered over towards Harry "And you thought you'd take advantage of the house being deserted to come spend some alone time with me, in my bedroom"

Suddenly Harry's pulse was racing faster and the room felt very hot "Um well I was a little surprised not to find you outside taking in the sun"

This elicited a huff from Ginny before she perched herself on Harry's lap "It's my punishment for the 'Bikini Incident' mum has me copying out the entire Prewett family grimoire by hand, it's huge" she turned and smiled at him "But now I have something to distract me"

"Yeah... ah..." Harry wasn't sure how to broach the subject that he had intended; indeed he was somewhat distracted having Ginny in this position

She looked at him and huffed once again "Something tells me you didn't come in here for the session of unsupervised alone time that I was just imagining"

"Not exactly... When we were in the water I..."

"You want to talk about the scars" filled in Ginny, when he nodded she slid from his lap and sat next to him on the bed, she didn't get angry or even particularly upset but Harry suddenly got the impression that she appeared very small and vulnerable "Ask away"

A thousand questions ran through his head at once; Who had done that to her? Why? When? Why weren't they healed properly? What had the others done about it?...?...?...? He didn't know where to begin or how to articulate the questions he wanted to ask.

"How about I start from when you guys escaped the wedding, that way we don't keep going over the same territory" he received a reassuring pat on the thigh "From what I remember Kingsley's lynx appeared and all hell broke loose. Charlie grabbed hold of me and dragged me inside. I tried looking around for you three as we went, I caught sight of Hermione for a moment and then you were gone..."

When he looked at her Harry could see Ginny's eyes were focused on the far off memories, he took a hold of her hand and waited for her to continue "... The wizards that came were supposedly from the Ministry but dad said he didn't recognise anyone except for a couple from suspected Death Eater posters. They herded us inside and started asking us questions about you three, where you were, what you were doing, who was protecting you, but we stuck to the story – _'Ron was upstairs with spattergroit and we hadn't seen either you or Hermione since the end of term'_. They spent a couple of hours trashing the house looking for evidence that we were lying, they found the ghoul but like the boys planned none of them would go near it, eventually they just up and left"

"For the next couple of weeks nothing happened, all we could do was sit around and wait for news, everyone wanted to go looking for you but dad reckoned we were being watched. The Ministry cut the floo network, intercepted our owls, made it illegal to apparate & portkey into or out of any house known to be associated with the Order." She sighed before beginning again "September first rolled around and that's when we found out about Snape being made headmaster; felt like a kick in the guts. Mum didn't want me going back to Hogwarts at all, but dad said I had to because we couldn't appear to be flouting the law or something like that, attendance was mandatory for every witch and wizard."

"At Kings Cross there was a guard posted at the entrance and he said only students were allowed on to the platform. We had to go through by ourselves, the platform was full of 'Ministry' personal, first they checked everyone's name off a list as they came through the gate and then they had us wait around for over an hour before letting anyone board..."

"Seeing if we had tried to Polyjuice our way in" contemplated Harry

"... Neville, Seamus and Luna had already found a compartment so I got in with them. The train was somewhere near Hogwarts, definitely in Scotland, when it stopped. It was like back in second year except it was wizards boarding the train. I swore at one point I could see Greyback standing outside in the shadows but Seamus reckoned it was my imagination. The goons on the train tossed it from end to end; they searched everyone's belongings and confiscated anything they regarded as suspect. That's when the bastards started rounding up the muggle-borns..."

Harry was startled by the intensity with which Ginny suddenly gripped his hand, he thought of stopping her but she continued

"Those who had been there last year when Dumbledore died had the sense not to return, but it was the first years... McGonagall later said that her, Flitwick and the others House Heads tried to contact as many as they could before that day but still, five or so turned up... we tried to stop them but they just stupefied anyone who came close... Harry we never saw any of them again"

Abruptly Ginny stood and paced the room, anger radiated freely from the red head. In the back of Harry's mind he heard a voice berating himself for not finishing his task sooner, for not preventing all this from happening. He had heard this voice many times in the recent past and had to crush it down, he was learning to accept what had happened but he still had to fight that particular demon on an almost daily basis.

The crash of Ginny's rubbish bin being kicked into a wall snapped Harry back into focus, Ginny appeared on the verge of tears and was looking for another hapless object to take her grief out on.

"Gin... Gin!" she ignored him at first but the flinch of her eyes when Harry called her name the second time betrayed the fact that she was listening "It's ok for you to be angry" he offered as she continued to stalk back and forth in front of him "There's nothing you could do about it"

"Argh!" Growled Ginny unexpectedly throwing her hands up in exasperation "That's just it! There _was_ nothing I could do about it, there still isn't. I just feel... I feel... Helpless! And I hate it, I absolutely hate it" she declared directing another kick towards her bin. Harry knew better than to try and calm her, Ginny needed to vent and anyone getting in her way was likely to experience the full brunt of her temper. He did however have the forethought to discretely remove objects from her path as she moved around the room.

Eventually, once she had excised enough of her demons to think more clearly, Ginny sat down in the chair opposite him, she was still fuming but the objects around her were no longer in danger. She took in what she had done to the room before looking up at Harry "Sorry"

Harry simply shrugged his shoulders. He knew exactly what Ginny was going through, it was a situation he often found himself in and one of the problems was that it wasn't something you could be consoled about to feel better. That feeling of helplessness was something that you had to accept in order to get past it. Ginny seemed to appreciate this, she gave him a half smile which prompted him to ask "Do you want to keep going?" the last thing he wanted was to push her.

"Yes" she replied with resolve "We agreed, you needed to know this story or else it always would be the Hippogriff in the room." Ginny paused for a moment as she recollected where she was up to in her narrative "You have to understand that life at Hogwarts was completely different from the way it had ever been before, we were screwed right from the beginning. The entire prefect/head boy/head girl system was disbanded, they replaced it with what they called the Youth Leadership Movement, it sounds all lovie dovie but basically it was a resurrection of the Inquisitorial Squad with all the 'leaders' coming from Slytherin. They tried to isolate the houses, especially Gryffindor. We weren't supposed to communicate with students outside our house, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had all their classes together, we shared every one of ours with Slytherin."

"The first quidditch game of the year was a debacle; you would have loved it" she said proudly "we were playing Slytherin like normal, Snape decided to referee..." Harry had a sinking feeling where this was headed, Snape was notoriously biased towards his own house and with the Carrows in attendance he must have been even more so "...the game only ended when Demelza was sent off for flacking, she was the last Gryffindor on the pitch, the rest of us had already been sent from the field for doing exactly what the Slytherins were doing to us. After that, quidditch was cancelled. Snape said it was Gryffindor's punishment for fielding such an 'ill-disciplined rabble.' "

"It just got worse from there, without you, Hermione and Ron present there was no strong leader in our house" Harry was stopped from interrupting when Ginny held her hand up "We knew why you couldn't; I'm just setting the scene. Back then Neville wasn't a leader, neither was Lavender or Padma. Everyone was looking to Seamus, he defied his mother to return but the Slytherins were targeting him too, he spent most of his time looking over his shoulder. It got so bad at one point, he couldn't go to the bathroom on his own."

"We tried to get the DA together but with Malfoy and his two shadows sulking around the seventh floor, it was impossible to have proper meetings. It wasn't until Luna figured out how to alter the Protean charm on Hermione's galleons that we were able to organise ourselves properly but that didn't happen until just before Christmas. Meanwhile still had to dodge the rest of the Slytherins, Nott wasn't that bad but that bint Pansy had it in for us... I don't think she enjoyed being _Bat Bogied_ and then left in a full body bind all day in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom"

Ginny was almost bursting with triumph at this accomplishment but Harry had other ideas , he felt particularly protective of the girl across from him "I'm not sure that's was the smartest thing to do Gin"

"You're a good one to talk" she replied glibly "Besides none of the Slytherins was even in the same league as the Carrows. They really believed all that pure blood, new world order crap. Amycus took the Dark Arts class; it was more like Death Eater training for dummies. He tried to teach us stuff that you'd have to be a loon to want to use; Blood Magic, Necromancy, even Fiendfyre. But if anything Alecto's 'Muggle Studies' lessons were worse, at least in the beginning that is..." Ginny's voice dripped with sarcasm over the name of the class but darkened considerably as she trailed off.

"At first Amycus's lessons were just showing us how to do the curses, we weren't using them on anyone, no-one was getting hurt. That would change later." she didn't elaborate any further but to Harry the implication was clear "Alecto on the other hand, she was trying to convince us that Voldemort's world view was the right one. She wanted us to believe that muggles and muggleborns were blight on wizarding society, that they should either be removed or turned into slaves. Half-bloods too were to be thought of as second class citizens, to work all the crappy jobs that no pureblood would lower themselves down to do"

"Wonder what they would have said if they had known Tom's father was a muggle?"

"Don't worry I let her know, she didn't take it too well" replied Ginny "We didn't take what she was saying too well either for that matter. At first we just argued with her, nothing too serious, the same stuff we did with that troll Umbridge, but eventually we had to stop, their punishments became more... physical..." she opened her hand and held it out for Harry to look at. Whereas on Harry blood-quill scar was etched across the back of his hand hers were on the soft tissue on the inside '_Magic is Might, Pure is the Cure'. _

He ran his fingers across the scars, he'd never seen them before "They tortured you?" he whispered

"No..." she balled her hand into a fist "Torture was more like when they broke Seamus's legs" spat Ginny "One of those sadists must've realised the blood quills weren't doing crap to stop us, they started instigating 'special lessons'. The Slytherin 'Leaders' would be taught certain spells and they got to practice them on those who got put into detention" Ginny shuddered visibly. Harry could only imagine the types of horrors they were subjected to. "It's funny in the beginning Filch was over the moon with the Carrows ideas on punishment, he got to use those beloved chains he was always croaking on about, but I think even he was put off by what they started doing."

"Once the 'special lessons' started happening we knew we couldn't keep acting up in the classrooms anymore. It was Neville's idea to sneak out after hours; he wanted to let the rest of the students know that there was still hope. We started by writing stuff on the walls, then we got bolder, we started setting traps for the Carrows and their cronies. It was harmless stuff really but if they saw us they didn't show any mercy trying to catch us, that git Jimmy Peakes almost got nailed by Fiendfyre once. Neville said we had to be more careful after that, we also had other, more important, things to worry about than just rebelling; with the senior students not acting up in class anymore it was the younger ones who were receiving all the detentions."

"Sometime in November we began receiving messages, via the paintings in the common room, that a certain student was being held in a certain room. The paintings never said who they were from but we'd sortie out and sure enough they'd be there, so we'd rescue them. Sometimes we had to just rush in there and try and stun everyone, other times they were left hanging there and we could just sneak them out. That's how I found Ben..."

"Ben?" asked Harry he couldn't ever remember meeting a Ben at Hogwarts before

"He was this big sixth year Hufflepuff, short white spiky hair, he wasn't dumb or anything, he was just slow, I mean if you told him how to do a spell, showed him, he would think about it for a few minutes and then do it, usually on the first try. They'd pick on him because of his half-blood status..."

"You keep saying was..." noted Harry

"He was one of the fifty; they found his body out on the grounds... From what I hear he was surrounded by a pile of dismembered Acromantulas"

"Oh"

"You would've liked him, he was a really nice guy... anyway we should've suspected something when, a few weeks before Christmas break, we discovered a hand written note pinned to the wall beside the Fat Lady. Nobody thought to ask if she had seen who had left it, we figured that whoever had been sending us the previous messages was in a rush or couldn't use their normal method. At any rate we didn't, we set out and found him hanging by his wrists in the dungeon the note described, we couldn't see anyone around so we figured it was a simple snatch and grab." she shook her head ruefully "The second we unlocked his chains the Carrows and a couple of their goons were there, I thought I was nicked for sure but Neville had thought to bring some Peruvian Darkness Powder with him, in the confusion we escaped... well almost. To throw them off we headed for the Hufflepuff common room, it was closer and we figured they wouldn't look for us there."

"We were halfway home when Alecto found us. I couldn't have carried Ben's weight on my own so I told Neville to take him. I held off Alecto while Neville got away. When he was clear I took off down a side passageway." Ginny paused and Harry could see her spreading a sly grin "You know what's funny, I never used any of the curses they taught us except against Death Eaters"

Harry waited in silence as Ginny collected her thoughts. He could just imagine the scene she had been describing, those once friendly halls had turned into nightmares for them, and happy memories of times gone by must have appeared to be mockingly close. Pursued and harassed, even with those Gryffindors who remained behind the school must have been a lonely place.

When she was ready to Ginny began again "Having me fighting back must have pissed that psycho bitch off something fierce cos she started firing _reducto _curses at my head as I ran away. I was fortunate; I knew Hogwarts better than she did and being fitter I was pulling away. By the time I got to the fifth floor she was almost out of sight. Unfortunately that's where my luck ran out, I tripped on a step and in the few seconds it took me to regain my feet I felt something hit my back. I didn't think anything more about it until I was almost back to the Fat Lady, by then it was like I was on fire, I could feel blood running down the inside of my robes."

"Inside and I practically fell on my face in the commons, everyone rushed to help and that's when they found these" as she spoke Ginny pulled her chair closer then turned to straddle it, facing away from Harry. She lifted the singlet top she was wearing off revealing her back which was covered in a spider's web of tiny thin scars, criss-crossing her back up to the base of her neck.

Harry was shocked, it was so much worse than he had imagined. The scars were each only a few centimetres in length but they were everywhere, there must have been hundreds if not thousands of them "What the hell kind of a curse does that?"

"McGonagall said it was some kind of self perpetuating _incidere_ curse, new cuts would open up every few seconds, faster than she could heal them"

"Wait why was McGonagall healing them? Why weren't you in the hospital wing with Madam Pomfrey?" She was leaning forward slightly and resting her chin on the back of the chair. Harry let his fingers trace the myriad of interwoven lines as they spoke.

"The Carrows were Death Eaters Harry, not stupid. They learnt fairly quickly to station people outside the hospital ward. That way they would catch, anyone they injured while escaping, who went there looking for help. We thought of contacting Madam Pomfrey when she was outside the ward but she was followed wherever she went."

"At some point McGonagall must have started noticing various Gryffindors not turning up for class or else coming in with unhealed injuries. She was the only teacher freely allowed to enter the Gryffindor Tower, so late one night she turned up unannounced. I thought she was gonna kill us but she took one look around and went to work, every night after that she'd check in, clean us up, deliver a lecture and a pep talk. She never gave up Harry, not once, she always believed in you." Ginny looked over her shoulder at him and gave a wan smile.

"That was last rescue I did. Because of the efforts we put into saving Ben the Hufflepuffs & Ravenclaws became more active in our afterhours activities and each House started taking responsibility for recuing their own."

Harry looked down at his girlfriend's back and noticed a particularly vicious looking scar, it was longer than the others and still a pinkish-white colour. The wound ran down from her shoulder blade, crossing over a number of other marks and disappeared next to her spine, without thinking he ran his hand over it. Ginny jerked a bit at the fresh contact but she didn't make any objections. Harry moved his hand slowly down her back, he wanted Ginny to be able to stop him if she became too uncomfortable "Why couldn't I see these the other day?"

"Mum was checking them one day to make sure they were healing properly or something. Aunt Muriel walked in, saw them, went to her room and came back with that jar over there" she pointed to a squat round jar that looked like white goo, it reminded Harry of toothpaste, right down to the tiny blue flecks "Magical Concealer. Said she reckoned I would need it more than her... never said another word about them after that. When Dudley suggested swimming the other day I shared it with Hermione and she helped me put it on"

The two of them stayed silent, each lost in their own thoughts. Harry was both shocked and appalled by what had happened to the witch in front of him. He had no idea that she had endured such an ordeal and it didn't take a genius to figure out that there was so much more that had been left unsaid. Time ticked by as Harry grappled with what to say, words wouldn't come to him as he tried to figure out a way to comfort her.

Harry wasn't sure how long they had been sitting there but for the last few minutes he had been aware of Ginny giving him furtive glances. He still had his hand resting gently on the small of her back until she abruptly sat up straight, twisted around and grabbed at it, bringing Harry's hand to rest in her lap, clasped in both of her own "Does this... I mean am I now..." she took a breath and visibly steeled herself before she tried again "Does this change things between us?"

Harry could see Ginny searching his face for a reaction "No, not at all, why would you say that?" he grasped her hand reassuringly. She didn't answer him but flushed bright red and averted her gaze. Harry regarded her features, trying to understand what was going through her thoughts. Her eyes looked soft with vulnerability and she was chewing her lip as she was thinking. As he watched he saw her come to a decision, her blush faded slightly and she set her jaw determinedly before turning to face him.

"I asked because you must have realised that I've been sitting here... in only a bra, for nearly ten minutes and not once have you tried to look..." she glanced down at her front.

Harry's eyes followed hers "I... ah..." his usual biological reactions to confronting anything outside his immediate comfort zone instantly took over; his cheeks burned and he felt the room suddenly close in on him as he realised she really wasn't wearing a top. In a heady rush of hormones his brain disengaged completely from his tongue as she turned square on to him. While the bikini top had shown more in the way of the cleavage, the bra, by virtue of being made from a thin white gauzy material, stretched between lacy patterns, was a lot more transparent and gave a larger amount of detail than just the outline of his girlfriend's bosom "..."

"You didn't notice?"

"..."

"YOU DIDN'T NOTICE!" Harry was suddenly set upon; from her position on top of him she rained a series of punches down on him. Reacting slowly he did the only thing he could think of and kissed her. He must have done something right because as he rolled on top, pinning her to the bed below him, Harry heard the sweet sound of Ginny's giggling ring out.

* * *

The trouble, Harry decided, with Ginny joining the early morning exercises was that she was very competitive, and tended to bring out the competitive spirit in both Harry & Ron. The result of which was the three of them pushing each other harder and harder much to the amusement of onlookers, especially the final race back for the shower.

Finishing a close second had meant that when Harry got his turn with the shower, it smelled strongly of the winner. That flowery scent had pervaded his senses, conjuring up images and memories. It didn't help that this morning he had woken from dreaming of her or that he had caught a glimpse of a towel clad Ginny just prior to entering the bathroom. All this had meant that Harry had to choose a cold shower instead of the steaming hot one he had been hoping for.

This was the basis of what Harry was thinking about, the dreams and fantasies he was experiencing were making him feel anxious. He was nervous because his relationship with Ginny was quickly moving into uncharted territory on both the emotional and physical level. The time that they were together at Hogwarts amounted to a few stolen moments spread over a couple of short months, during which a lot of Harry's spare time had been taken up with study and the events that were unfolding around him. It had only been a few weeks since the two of them had restarted their relationship and with the events of yesterday in Ginny's bedroom they had already exceeded the limits of their previous attempts.

Harry was startled from his contemplation by a piece of toast striking him "Oi, wake up dozy" he looked up to see George grinning at him triumphantly, Harry briefly wondered if somehow the other wizard suspected what he had been thinking about, but quickly dismissed the idea, if he had it would have been something more lethal than toast being aimed at him. George nodded towards something behind Harry's back "Your friend is back from London"

Ever since the trip to Diagon Alley, Fournier had been continuously disappearing to London. It was happening so often that it was beginning to become a bone of contention between him and Harry. Harry's problem with it was that any travel outside the Burrow had to be authorised by the Auror, but he was never around for Harry to talk to him, or else plans fell through because Fournier was suddenly unable to supervise.

So it was with an impatient snort that Harry followed George's signal and looked over his shoulder. He spotted Fournier waiting in the shadows of the doorway, he wore a pensive frown and gave a curt gesture for him to be followed. Harry cleared away his breakfast dishes and moved out to the lounge, but the room was unexpectedly empty, Harry glanced around and decided the only alternative was that the Auror had gone outside. Sure enough Fournier was waiting for him outside of Arthur's shed. A couple of hens clucked at Harry from the chicken coop as he made his way over to the waiting wizard.

"You want to explain this to me" snapped Fournier, he held up a copy of the Prophet from a few days ago. Harry tentatively accepted the newspaper; he hadn't actually seen a paper around the Burrow in the last few days so he wasn't exactly sure what this was all about. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach Harry read the front page headline:

_**GOLDEN TRIO GOES TO TOWN**_

"I come back from the Ministry to find this. What happened to clearing everything through us?" demanded Fournier

It might have been his pre-existing frustration talking but Harry was unrepentant "What do you want me to say?"

"You could at least explain it to me, Dammit Harry I just spent the last couple of days testifying on Kingsley's behalf before the Wizengamot about how this assignment wasn't a waste of Ministry resources"

Harry was confused, this was the first time he had heard of his friend being involved in some kind of trial "Why is Kingsley in trouble with the Wizengamot?"

"Because of the articles that Skeeter woman has been writing since I ran into her at Diagon Alley. When Kingsley took office Rita was declared _persona non grata _at the Ministry and she's not happy. It doesn't help that there's a power vacuum within the Ministry either. It still contains a smattering of ill-bred ambitious cowards who are all eyeing up the top job; instead of openly vying for it they just leak everything. That combined with Rita being a willing listener and means she keeps writing one scathing critique after another, eventually it forced the Wizengamot to create an inquiry to investigate her claims"

"Look I'm sorry if I caused you or Kingsley any trouble but I had to go" relented Harry, Fournier looked unimpressed and waited without responding "George needed help. I did what I had to do for my friend and I make no apologies for that."

The Auror frowned "Harry you can't just go gallivanting around the countryside, there are things happening and with this inquiry I haven't been around as much as I would like" he warned.

"What kind of things happening?"

Fournier shook his head ruefully but abruptly changed the subject by pointing to the paper in Harry's hand "This probably won't make a difference really, however it make your life and mine slightly more difficult. The decisions have already been made; as a result of the plan Kingsley announce for increasing the number of Aurors & MLE staff, Richard's and Connor have just been reassigned. On top of that, up until now, we had everyone thinking you lot had gone off on a holiday to Australia, but with this article every fan and reporter in the country knows you're not"

"Richard's and Connor have been reassigned?"

"As of today, Winky has things covered at the Ministry and the MLE are taking on more responsibilities so that we can release Aurors to be able to hunt down the Death Eaters who escaped from Hogwarts" confirmed Fournier "Paddy and myself will be here for another few weeks but in July I take my turn at guarding the muggle Prime Minister" the pride the man felt at having been given this prestigious assignment was very evident.

"So it's all nearly over" sighed Harry, relief flooded him as he imagined the freedom of not having to clear his schedule with his minders but a little part in the back of his mind also filed away the note about the ongoing pursuit of fugitive Death Eaters.

"Almost"

"Harry?" called Mrs Weasley from inside the house

"Out here Molly..." replied Harry, he paused and waited to see if his use of the woman's first name stuck, it still felt weird to use it but he wasn't overcome with the sudden urge to correct himself.

The witch stuck her head out through the door and smiled when she spotted him "Good, I was wondering where you disappeared to" she glanced over her shoulder and then hurried out to where Harry and Fournier were standing "I was hoping I might have a word with you out of earshot" she stated conspiratorially.

"I'll leave you two to it" the Auror gave them a cheerful smile

"Thanks" replied Harry, quickly stuffing the copy of the Prophet he held into his jean's pocket. He didn't know if Mrs Weasley had read it or not but he wasn't about to provoke a confrontation by letting her see the paper in his possession. Mrs Weasley quickly drew him into a whispered conversation.

* * *

**This chapter started to get really long so I cut it in half and did some major editing, unfortunately one of the casualties was the Prophet Article - However I decided to keep it as an extra so if you want to read on.**

* * *

_Golden Trio Goes To Town – By Lakoff Smarts_

_A reliable source within the Diagon Alley business community confirmed today that the Golden Trio was seen entering the infamous Lion's Den nightclub. Since his being injured by the fanatical Morrovic Jugson during the Diagon Alley incident, it has widely believed that Harry Potter and his compatriots were either secluded in a private retreat or travelling abroad. Unconfirmed sightings of the only female member of the trio, Hermione Granger, throughout Australia have lead most Potter experts to believe it was most likely the latter. _

_Numerous rumours of sightings of the trio throughout the United Kingdom have circulated since the Diagon Alley incident; however this is the first time that the sighting has been substantiated. A late night reveller described seeing three people, matching the trio's descriptions, running down a street near the club. A number of hours later a Mrs Hachem of Ipswich swore that she recognised the three of them boarding the Knight Bus as she disembarked "It was him I'm sure, you could see the scar and the other two were all over each other, a disgusting display if you ask me, don't know how Potter puts up with it."_

_When this reporter tried to question the goblin at the purported entrance (The entrance itself appears as a solid stone wall to any witch or wizard other than those who have been sorted into Gryffindor house) he was rebuffed "In or out, other than that, Shove Off!", a large uncouth security troll menaced at us from behind him with his club. Rather than risk a physical injury at the hands of an obviously untrained brute I tried my luck interviewing club goers that were leaving, but here too I was met with confrontations, lewd and often incoherent responses. One scantily clad witch, who this reporter could scarcely believe was of age, simply shouted "What happens in the Den, Stays in the Den!" to which the other club goers around hooted and whooped their agreement._

_The Lion's Den has long had a notorious reputation as being a hive of libidinous, drunken debauchery. The Ministry has attempted numerous raids since the clubs establishment in 1812; however they are often hamstringed by the selective entrance criteria meaning that clubs occupants are able to escape before they can be apprehended. Indeed before his arrest, and subsequent sentence to Azkaban, the Den was known as a regular watering hole for the infamous Sirius Black, also there are reports of a known werewolf frequenting the bar in the past. It is possible the trio were ignorant of the business's dubious reputation._

_It has been suggested that the Golden Trio's return may portend to Mr. Potter's intention to sign a professional quidditch contract. Multiple clubs have confirmed that they have sent offers and are expecting replies any day now. Puddlemere United and the high flying Tutshill United are thought to be the mostly likely to succeed in acquiring Potter's lucrative signature, however even the bottom of the table Chudley Cannons are believed to be in the running. Mr Potter's quidditch history is sketchy at best, though he was the youngest seeker in a century to be given a place on a house team, Potter missed a significant number of matches through injury and suspension. Let us hope as a professional athlete he is able to perform more consistently._

_For more articles on Harry Potter and the Golden Trio turn to pages 18 and 21, also we wish to remind our readers to keep an eye out for the feature article in the latest edition of Witch Weekly: Hermione Granger – Is brains the new beauty?_


End file.
